GOD’S WONDROUS WORD
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
—Psalm 119:105
ST. AUGUSTINE ONCE WROTE, “Our hearts are restless, until they can find rest in You [the Lord].” The only thing that can satisfy the longing in our soul is the Word of God. So often we are discontented with our possessions and when we obtain more to satisfy the longing in our soul we quickly learn that the hunger continues. Why? Because the longing of man’s soul can only be satisfied by the Word of God –Scripture alone is the food for our soul. Jesus said in Matthew 4:4, “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” The Apostle Paul told the elders at Ephesus in Acts 20:32, “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” The Word of God is what the believer lives by –Scripture alone brings joy, comfort, peace, and satisfaction to our soul.
THE WORD OF GOD brings light to our pathway and illuminates the way before our feet in this dark world (Psalm 119:105). This sinful world is a stumbling block of darkness. We cannot look to the wisdom of this world to give us guidance because the wisdom of this world is “foolishness, earthly, sensual, and demonic” (1 Cor. 3:19; James 3:15). Only God’s Word is sufficient and dependable to guide us in this world. This doesn’t mean that we can’t turn to others for advice. The psalmist turned to his father, mother, and friends many times for counsel. But only when others give us counsel in accordance with the Word of God will their counsel be reliable, true, and worthy to be followed (Psalm 1).
IS YOUR SOUL DISCONTENT? Do you have a longing that is never satisfied by the things of this world? Do you have troubles with your marriage or with your family? Do you struggle with certain sins in your life? The only solution is to feed on the Word of God. The Word of God is the only reliable and trustworthy guide that can give us the wisdom, strength, comfort, and hope we need to withstand the temptations we face in this life (Romans 15:4). That’s why the Psalmist wrote, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11). And again, “I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation” (Psalm 119:99). And once again, “and that from childhood you have known the Scriptures which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:15). So, the question is, have you had your spiritual food today? Have you partaken of God’s spiritual bread of life? “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2).
Tuesday Encouragement: May 26, 2026
In Christ,
Pastor S. Henry
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A CHRISTIAN'S SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER
My Father and my God,
I bow before You this morning through the Lord Jesus Christ, He is my righteousness, and by the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, He is my Sanctifier. “How lovely is your Tabernacle, O Lord of host!” (Psalm 84:1). “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness” (Psalm 84:10).
O my God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in You “I live and move and have my being” (Acts 17:28). You have made all things in heaven and on earth for Your glory and praise. You have also made them in secondary importance for the good of Your Church. To You I give all glory, honor, praise, adoration, exaltation, thanksgiving, reverence, obedience, and worship. Cause me to do all these things more diligently, zealously, faithfully, joyfully, lovingly, and prayerfully.
Lord Jesus, my heart is in constant need of change and progression in holiness, in Christ-likeness. I am easily distracted, easily tempted, easily led astray. Too often I am emotional rather than rational, fleshly rather than Biblical. Uphold me with Your strong arm! Don't let me stray from Your Word. Sovereign Savior, keep me near You! Keep my heart focused on You! Don't let my heart grow cold. Light the fire within my heart. Revive me for Your glory and service as I am Your slave to do with as You will. Use me, teach me, guide me, uphold me, fill me with Your Power and Presence.
Forgive me, O Father, for my wretched sins of thought, word, and deed. Forgive me for "the lust of my flesh, the lust of my eyes, and the pride of my life—which is not of You but is of the world” (1 John 2:16). And forgive me for the sake of Christ’s person and work! He lived in my place and has fulfilled all the righteous demands of the Law on my behalf. He bore my punishment on the cross so that I would never be condemned. Christ has merited righteousness and forgiveness for me. You forgive me because of Who Christ is and what He has done, and not because of something in me. Of myself, I have nothing but sin and corruption. But in Christ I am declared righteous and holy. Oh what marvelous grace of God that He would give His only Son to make a wretch like me His treasure! As the hymn writer, Robert Robinson, once wrote, "O to grace how great a debtor, daily I’m constrained to be! Let that grace now, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love; here’s my heart; O take and seal it; seal it for thy courts above."
O my Father, I do love You because You first loved me (1 John 4:19) and shed Your love abroad in my heart by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). But I know my love is far from perfect. My love is weak, sinful, frail, and fragile. Therefore, cause me to love You with greater intensity and obedience and passion and service. Keep me confessing my sins to you since when I confess you are faithful and just to forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Holy Spirit, keep me in Your Word. Fill me with Your Word. Fill me, Holy Spirit. Don't let me drift. Don't let me grieve You. Don't let me sin against You. Empower me for Your blessed service. Keep me walking on the straight and narrow path! Cause me to decrease so that Christ will increase in me so that I might declare and live the words of Scripture, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). Bring my thoughts, all my thoughts, captive to the obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ. Do this for Your glory, use me for Your praise. For I am not my own, but I belong to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ, both in my body and my soul, both in my life and in my death, I am His and He is mine!
O Lord my God, here am I, send me!
In Jesus' blessed name I pray!
Amen!
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KNOWING GOD
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.”
—John 17:3
WHOEVER DOES NOT know God does not have everlasting life. Because Adam sinned, all earthly fathers bring forth children who have physical life but spiritually they are dead in sin and are rebels against God (Eph. 2; Titus 3:3). Everlasting life comes from the eternal God and is freely given to those whom He has eternally chosen in Christ (Eph. 1). God the Father sent His Son Jesus into this world to earn everlasting life for all those whom He chose, according to His good pleasure, from before the foundation of the world. This doesn’t mean simply knowing about God. In John 17:3, “knowing God” means being in spiritual union with Him. Jesus expresses this spiritual unity when He says in John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” What Jesus means is that everlasting life is enjoyed by all those and only those who by true faith are united to Him. This is everlasting life –this is truly knowing God.
DO YOU KNOW GOD as the true God Who keeps every one of His promises and gives His people an everlasting joy of living with Him in holiness and glory? Do you hear and believe His Word? If so, then praise God because this is evidence that He has worked in your heart and granted life everlasting. Jesus said in John 5:24, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”
LIBERTY FROM SIN'S bondage is divinely revealed in Scripture, but the power to obey is God's gracious gift through faith in Jesus Christ, who Himself received sin's wages on every believer’s behalf. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Christ has broken the power and consequences of sin by conquering death. Therefore, we are set free in Him alone. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).
HAVE YOU PRAISED your Savior today for setting you free from the wages of sin? “The LORD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father's God, and I will exalt Him” (Ex. 15:2).
Friday Devotional: May 22, 2026
In Christ,
Pastor S. Henry
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GROWING AS A CHRISTIAN
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.”
—2 Peter 3:18
“FOR EVERYONE WHO partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:13-14). Spiritual growth comes by way of exercising yourself in the Word of righteousness. But we must understand that spiritual growth is gradual. As a child grows into a youth and the youth grows into an adult, so also with the believer as he grows in grace.
AND AS YOU grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ you will find that your awareness of God’s gracious favor will become more pronounced in your life because as you grow spiritually you will become more conscious of your own sinfulness and unworthiness. You won’t say, “Boy, I’m a good person.” Rather, you will say, “What a wretch I am and how I am thankful for God’s grace in Jesus Christ!” Growing in grace humbles you and causes you to increasingly desire to live not for yourself, but for Him who has loved you and gave Himself for you (Galatians 2:20).
SO, PETER SAYS in our text, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” and we do this by exercising the means of grace God has given to us: The Word of God, the sacraments, prayer, fellowship, and faithfully attending the worship services of the church to sit under the preaching and teaching of God’s Word. These are the means God has ordained for the spiritual growth of every believer. These are the means where we behold Jesus as in a mirror and are being conformed into His image by the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 3:16). “Desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2).
ARE YOU GROWING SPIRITUALLY? Would you say you have been humbled by God’s grace, or do you walk in prideful arrogance? Do you desire increasingly to be fed spiritually with the Word of God? Do you delight in partaking of the sacraments? Do you long for fellowship with other believers? If you are truly a branch united to the vine then your desire must be like the Psalmist who wrote in Psalm 122, “I was glad when they said to me, let us go into the house of the LORD.” May this be the overwhelming desire and passion of your heart today and always!
Tuesday Encouragement: May 19, 2026
In Christ,
Pastor S. Henry
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THE LORD'S DAY IS FOR THE LORD'S WORSHIP!
*Let us gather as the Lord's people with the attitude of David, who said, "I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go into the house of the LORD."
*Let us have ears that are attentive to the Word of God, and pray for hearts to believe His Word.
*Let us rejoice in the Gospel. O Lord, open our ears to Your Word. Grant us sanctifying grace to hear and obey. Keep us walking in truth!
*Let us pray for the ministry of the Word as we enter into the Lord's courts with praise and adoration, and let us be thankful to Him and bless His name.
*Let us bow before the Lord in prayer asking the Lord to show us Jesus in the Word.
*Let us be filled with the Holy Spirit and His Word (Eph. 5:18; Col. 3:16), and let us walk in obedience to Christ out of a thankful heart.
*Let us sing to the Lord a new song, confess His holy name as Lord and Savior, and rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say Rejoice!
*Let us give of ourselves in fellowship and receive the fellowship of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
*Let us give our tithes and offerings for the growth and maintenance of Christ's Kingdom.
*Let us give ourselves unto God as a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1) and not allow ourselves to be conformed to the ways of this world (Rom. 12:2).
*Let us walk in humble obedience to our great King as we exalt the name of Jesus in prayer and praise.
*Let us strive to "let the word of Christ dwell in us richly in all wisdom." And let "whatever you [we] do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (Col. 3:16-17).
*O Lord, bless us, Your redeemed people, Your Church, as we gather corporately to worship You, for You alone are worthy of all honor, praise, and glory; bless us, O Lord, for our worship is nothing apart from Your blessing!
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A CHRISTIAN'S SUNDAY AM PRAYER
My Father and my God,
I come to You this morning through the Lord Jesus Christ, my righteousness, and by the Holy Spirit, my Sanctifier.
I thank You, heavenly Father, for the forgiveness of sins that You granted me through the person and work of Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son. Thank You for loving me and a multitude of other unworthy sinners, by sending Your Son, Jesus, to redeem us, justify us, adopt us, and call us your dear children, and saints in Jesus Christ.
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for giving Your life a ransom for me, one who is deserving of Hell.
I am so worthy of damnation as I have broken all Your commandments.
And as Scripture declares, “the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is everlasting life in Jesus Christ” (Rom. 6:23).
You suffered in my place; thank You for living a perfect life in my place and fulfilling all the demands of God's Law.
Thank You for suffering the wrath of God which laid upon me, and rightly so!
Thank You for drinking the dregs to the bitter end so that I might receive all the blessings in the heavenly places.
Thank You for being baptized with the baptism of fire, which brought You great distress and anguish.
Thank You for loving me and pouring the love of God into my soul so that I might love God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Forgive me when my love is cold and complacent, which is far too often!
Revive me, Lord Jesus, and stoke up the fire of Your love in my soul.
Forgive me my wretched sins! Keep my eyes fixed upon You, the Author and Finisher of my faith!
O Holy Spirit, thank You for regenerating my soul, creating true faith in my heart, causing me to believe the Gospel, causing me to love Your Word, to trust Christ, to walk in truth, and to stand against wickedness.
I realize my weakness, my sinfulness, my stupidity, my disobedience, and at times my faithlessness.
O Holy Spirit, kindle afresh Your sanctifying grace in my soul.
Mold me, shape me, teach me, lead me, guide me, direct me, uphold me for the glory of Christ.
Sanctify me, Holy Spirit, fall afresh on me. Don't let me stray from Scripture. Don't let me sin against You.
Don't let me grieve You by my sinful thoughts, words, and actions.
Discipline me when I go astray. Keep me humble when I obey.
Cause me to know the devices of Satan through the teaching of Scripture!
Gird me up in truth so that I have greater discernment to stand against the wiles of the Devil, who comes disguised as an angel of light.
O Heavenly Father, use me for Christ glory.
“Guide me, O Great Jehovah, pilgrim through this barren land; I am weak, but Thou art mighty, hold me with Thy powerful hand.”
Make me walk in faithfulness, truth, courage, boldness, and joy for Your name’s sake!
Forgive me and cleanse me of my wretchedness for I know I have sinned against You in my thoughts, words, and deeds!
Do all this, my Heavenly Father, for the sake of Christ’s person and work, and for Your glory and praise!
As Isaiah said, "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: "Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me" (Isaiah 6:8).
In Jesus’ name!
Amen!
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