Archives for July 2020

"O LORD God of hosts, who is like You, O Mighty LORD?" (Psalm 89:8) God reigns sovereign and supreme, even in strange times such as these. When anxiety and fear tempt us to set our faith on the shelf in favor of more "practical" approaches to life, Christians should be reminded that nothing is more "practical" than believing what the Triune God has revealed about Himself ...

We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. (2Cor 4:7-9) Ah, LORD God. Triune King of all creation. Yahweh: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.Glorious and Majestic in all t...

This is the last of God's attributes in our teaching series, and it's a good one to end on. If we've learned anything throughout this series, it is that God is unique and there is none like him (Jer. 10:6). He is infinite, majestic, sovereign, holy, and indeed, wholly other. He is completely beyond our comprehension. How can it be that we, as finite creatures, could know...

What is wisdom and what is meant by God being wise? Stephen Charnock's rather extensive definition contrasts knowledge with wisdom. Knowledge is truth about things and wisdom is the use of truth. Wisdom is the application of knowledge in a timely, purposeful, and virtuous manner. It does not just know truth, it uses it appropriately. To act wisely is to intentionally act a...

Edward Leigh described the holiness of God as the "beauty" of all his attributes, "without which his wisdom would be but subtlety, his justice cruelty, his Sovereignty tyranny, his mercy foolish pity." God's holiness is the only attribute of his that is affirmed in a threefold repetition in Scripture and that is done twice (Isa 6:3; Rev 4:8). He is declared to be the "Hol...

God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son,Jesus Christ our Lord 1 Corinthians 1:9 When it feels like the world is disintegrating, when people and circumstances around us are unstable, unpredictable, overwhelming, or threatening, we come face to face with the fact that we are not really in control of our lives or situations; not for a moment. It can...

"The LORD is merciful and gracious; slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love." - Ps 103:8 While all of God's attributes should evoke a sense of awe, humility, and wonder, reflecting on God's graciousness provides something much more personal for the believer. If God is all His other attributes but is not gracious toward us, we are left in a great state of fear and al...

"Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?"Genesis 18:25 The justice of God consists in the fact that God will give to each person what they merit, either punishment or reward. He treats every person fairly by giving them what they deserve.When God entered into a covenant with Adam, he gave Adam the ability to obey the requirement of perfect obedience in order...

Our limited, sinful humanity misuses anger. We exercise anger as an excuse for revenge or unjustified hatred. We let anger drive us to sinful acts. The recent riots are an example of the fruit of human anger. Uncontrolled rage resulted in massive criminal behavior for a cause. We speak of "crimes of passion" or "blowing up" or "losing it," leading us to conclude that anger...

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end" (Lam 3:22). This verse in Lamentations 3 draws our attention back to the prophet Jeremiah's lament over the city of Jerusalem during its destruction by Babylon. What sorrowful lament indeed to see the city of God's people decimated and deserted in judgment. Most of us have not had to witness a...

John 1:14: Andthe Wordbecame flesh anddwelt among us,and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Sonfrom the Father, full ofgrace andtruth.18No one has ever seen God;the only God,who is at the Father's side,he has made him known. As humans, we measure our success by accomplishments: trophies, medals, records, degrees, awards, citations, net worth, number of followers...

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.1 The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all.2 Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, in heaven and on earth, in the sea and all deeps.3 For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authoritiesall things w...

"God is love" (1 John 4:8, 16). This is the best-known of all of God's attributes, and arguably the most misunderstood. Too many people think that God's love is a "one size fits all" matter; that God loves everyone equally. God's love, however, is nuanced, and as we look more and more into it we can better grasp its depths. "The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over ...

God Is Good.We learn this truth from Scripture passages such as: Psalm 34:8, "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!" and Psalm 136:1, "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever." The problem is that we use the word "good" to describe a number of things, and so when we think about it as on...

The Lord is slow to anger and great in power,And the Lord will by no means clear the guilt.His way is in the whirlwind and storm,And the clouds are the dust of his feet. (Nahum 1:3) God is patient and that is a wonderful truth for all creatures who dwell on earth. When we say that God is patient we mean that God forebears, delays, and tempers the punishment all sinners de...