The Morning Devotional for July 13, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 21.3
III. Prayer with thanksgiving, being one special part of religious worship,a is by God required of all men;b and that it may be accepted, it is to be made in the name of the Son,c by the help of his Spirit,d according to his will,e with understanding, reverence, humility, fervency, faith, love, and perseverance;f and, if vocal, in a known tongue.g
Read MoreRead: Genesis 22
Genesis 22 is another one of those chapters in the Genesis record that everyone should know. Several thematic elements in this chapter point us to the Lord Jesus. First, note that God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son in the land of Moriah. That command has significant markers pointing to the necessity of sacrifice, as God would specify in Exodus and throughout the Bible. Mt. Moriah is the key identifier as it is where the Temple of Solomon was built (See. 2 Chron. 3:1). The Tabernacle, and later, the temple, was the throne of God on earth. There, his people would come to worship him, offer sacrifices to him, and have their sins atoned through the shedding of the blood of an animal. The command to Abraham sets the stage for the events that will take place in this chapter.
Read MoreThe Morning Devotional for July 12, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 21.2
II. Religious worship is to be given to God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; and to him alone:anot to angels, saints, or any other creature:b and since the fall, not without a Mediator; nor in the mediation of any other but of Christ alone.c
Read MoreThe Morning Devotional for July 11, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 21.1
I. The light of nature showeth that there is a God, who hath lordship and sovereignty over all; is good, and doeth good unto all; and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served with all the heart, and with all the soul, and with all the might.a But the acceptable way of worshipping the true God is instituted by himself, and so limited to his own revealed will, that he may not be worshipped according to the imaginations and devices of men, or the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representations or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scripture.b
Read MoreThe Morning Devotional for July 10, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 20.4
Part Two
IV. And because the power which God hath ordained, and the liberty which Christ hath purchased, are not intended by God to destroy, but mutually to uphold and preserve one another; they who, upon pretense of Christian liberty, shall oppose any lawful power, or the lawful exercise of it, whether it be civil or ecclesiastical, resist the ordinance of God.a And for their publishing of such opinions, or maintaining of such practices, as are contrary to the light of nature, or to the known principles of Christianity, whether concerning faith, worship, or conversation; or to the power of godliness; or such erroneous opinions or practices as, either in their own nature, or in the manner of publishing or maintaining them, are destructive to the external peace and order which Christ hath established in the Church; they may lawfully be called to account,b and proceeded against by the censures of the Church, and by the power of the Civil Magistrate.c
Read MoreThe Morning Devotional for July 7, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 20.4
Part One
IV. And because the power which God hath ordained, and the liberty which Christ hath purchased, are not intended by God to destroy, but mutually to uphold and preserve one another; they who, upon pretense of Christian liberty, shall oppose any lawful power, or the lawful exercise of it, whether it be civil or ecclesiastical, resist the ordinance of God.a And for their publishing of such opinions, or maintaining of such practices, as are contrary to the light of nature, or to the known principles of Christianity, whether concerning faith, worship, or conversation; or to the power of godliness; or such erroneous opinions or practices as, either in their own nature, or in the manner of publishing or maintaining them, are destructive to the external peace and order which Christ hath established in the Church; they may lawfully be called to account,b and proceeded against by the censures of the Church, and by the power of the Civil Magistrate.c
Read MoreRead: Matthew 21
This chapter begins the section of Matthew’s gospel where Jesus is now in his final days and takes the opportunity to teach at the temple. The chapter is divided as follows: First, the triumphal entry into Jerusalem (21:1-11). Here the people praise and magnify the Savior but miss the point of his arrival. In a few days, this same crowd will clamor for his death.
Read MoreThe Morning Devotional for July 6, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 20.3
III. They who, upon pretense of Christian liberty, do practice any sin, or cherish any lust, do thereby destroy the end of Christian liberty; which is, that, being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, we might serve the Lord without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.a
Read MoreThe Morning Devotional for July 5, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 20.2
II. God alone is Lord of the conscience,a and hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are in anything contrary to his Word, or beside it, in matters of faith or worship.b So that to believe such doctrines, or to obey such commands out of conscience, is to betray true liberty of conscience;c and the requiring of an implicit faith, and an absolute and blind obedience, is to destroy liberty of conscience, and reason also.d
Read MoreRead: Genesis 21
Genesis 21 is a critical chapter within the Abrahamic narrative. The opening verses fulfill the promise made to Abraham regarding an heir – a son of his seed that will carry the thematic structure of the seed of the woman forward (See Gen. 3:15). The application of the opening verses should be a comfort to all of us as we ponder the promises of God given to us in his Word, knowing that he will do what he says. In obedience to God’s command, Abraham names his son Isaac (which means “laughter), circumcises him as he is a member of the visible church of old, and Sarah responds in praise to God for his blessing. That leads to another application for our lives. We often pray and ask God to remember his promises to us, but do we also remember to praise and thank him when he responds? It is easy to forget that, but we shouldn’t. We not only need God’s faithfulness, but we need to be faithful to thank him when he blesses us.
Read MoreThe Morning Devotional for July 4, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 20.1 (Part Two)
I. The liberty which Christ hath purchased for believers under the gospel consists in their freedom from the guilt of sin, the condemning wrath of God, the curse of the moral law;a and in their being delivered from this present evil world, bondage to Satan, and dominion of sin,bfrom the evil of afflictions, the sting of death, the victory of the grave, and everlasting damnation;c as also in their free access to God,d and their yielding obedience unto him, not out of slavish fear, but a child-like love and willing mind.e All which were common also to believers under the law;f but under the New Testament the liberty of Christians is further enlarged in their freedom from the yoke of the ceremonial law, to which the Jewish Church was subjected;g and in greater boldness of access to the throne of grace,h and in fuller communications of the free Spirit of God, than believers under the law did ordinarily partake of.i
Read MoreThe Morning Devotional for July 3, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 20.1 (Part One)
I. The liberty which Christ hath purchased for believers under the gospel consists in their freedom from the guilt of sin, the condemning wrath of God, the curse of the moral law;a and in their being delivered from this present evil world, bondage to Satan, and dominion of sin,bfrom the evil of afflictions, the sting of death, the victory of the grave, and everlasting damnation;c as also in their free access to God,d and their yielding obedience unto him, not out of slavish fear, but a child-like love and willing mind.e All which were common also to believers under the law;f
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