THE MOUTH OF THE RIGHTEOUS
“The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, but the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.”
—Proverbs 15:2
MANY SCRIPTURE REFERENCES in the Book of Proverbs are devoted to instructing God’s people on the proper use of the tongue, probably because of our harsh, abusive, pompous use of this little tool. God created the tongue not for arrogant, abusive speech, but to glorify and praise Him. How wonderful is the Spirit-controlled tongue that speaks a soft answer and promotes peace rather than strife and anger. Such a tongue dispenses knowledge and is a tree of life. Those who hear the speech of a godly man benefit from it. His lips spread knowledge and his words are “like apples of gold in settings of silver” (Prov. 25:11) and are delightful to the soul.
THE BOOK OF PROVERBS continually teaches us to be careful in our use of the tongue because of its power to do much good or much harm. Notice the comparison between the wise and foolish man in our text. The man who is instructed by the wisdom of God’s Word uses his tongue rightly, but the mouth of the fool gushes forth foolishness because he despises the wisdom and instruction of God’s Word. Solomon wrote in Proverbs 15:14, “The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.” Think about your words – to which category does your tongue belong – among the wise who use their tongue to dispense truth and righteousness, or among the fools who slander, gossip, and backbite? “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the Day of Judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matt. 12:36-37).
Tuesday Encouragement: December 3, 2024
In Christ,
Pastor S. Henry
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A THANKFUL CHRISTIAN’S SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER
O LORD, You are the Sovereign of this universe: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, ruling and reigning according to Your good pleasure and purpose. You are majestic in holiness, awesome in power, and infinite in knowledge. I am humbled that You are mindful of me, even as David declared in Psalm 8, “What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?”
You have regenerated me, redeemed me, reconciled me, forgiven me, cleansed me, washed me, adopted me, justified me, and are sanctifying me, and You alone provide me with all things necessary for life and godliness. I know that all I have need of You provide because You are my Good Shepherd Who cares for His sheep. You have taken me off the broad road that leads to destruction and set my feet upon the narrow road that leads to life. You, O Father, have planted my feet upon the Rock, Christ Jesus!
Holy Spirit, You have caused me to know and believe Your truth and have blessed me with the godly desire to continually reject the lies of Satan, sin, and this fallen world, which is under Satan’s rule. You continue Your work of sanctification, which is making me more and more like Jesus! Continue, Holy Spirit! Make me, mold me, fashion me after Christ’s image.
Heavenly Father, You continually teach me Your truth and reveal Yourself to me more and more as You cause me to grow in the likeness of Your beloved Son and my wonderful Savior, Jesus Christ. You cause me to walk in wisdom. You humble me in Your sight. You teach me to love You, Your Word, my brothers and sisters in Christ, my neighbors, and even my enemies.
Father, I confess that I am not worthy of the least of Your blessings and truth. I am sinful, needy, helpless, and hopeless apart from Your grace in Jesus Christ! In and of myself, I am only worthy of damnation for I have broken all Your commandments. Yet in a gracious wonder, I don’t stand before You in and of myself but I am in Jesus Christ, united to Him forever and covered and clothed by His righteousness, holiness, and perfect satisfaction. Therefore, You love me for the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, the One Who has fulfilled all the righteous requirements of Your Law in my place. Christ is the One who went to the cross and suffered for all my sins, the One Who was condemned in my place and on my behalf. He arose from the dead, which declared, O Father, that You have received His atoning work on my behalf and also on behalf of all that You gave to Christ. Thank You, Lord Jesus! You are my glorious, wondrous, awesome Savior!
Because of Your person and work, Lord Jesus, I can declare that I am eternally forgiven, eternally blessed, forever loved by God, cared for, have everlasting life, am washed, am adopted into the family of God, and have my name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life all because of You, Lord Jesus! Oh, how I love You! Lord Jesus, I am humbled by Your love, grace, mercy, and Your sustaining and transforming work of sanctification. For all of the sheep of Your pasture, You have “become for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30).
I am forever thankful that You loved me from before the foundation of the world, You love me now, and continually provide for me and have promised to never leave me nor forsake me! (Heb. 13:5). O LORD: Father, Son, Holy Spirit, I am humbled and thankful to be one of Your adopted children. May I ever praise Your holy name! Humble me when I obey Your Word, discipline me when I go astray!
In Christ’s holy name I pray!
Amen!
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A PASTOR’S COUNSEL TO A STRUGGLING CHRISTIAN
CHRISTIAN: “I have lots of anxiety. I struggle with worry and remembering that the Lord is in control. I forget that He carries all our burdens and cares! I get discouraged because of sin. I simply struggle in my life. Help!”
PASTOR: “Anxiety, depression, and discouragement are realities in this fallen world. These maladies affect believers and unbelievers alike. The difference between the believer and the unbeliever is hope. As believers, we have hope in the Lord. We have hope in salvation. We have hope in forgiveness. We have hope in Christ's righteousness. We have hope in the future. We have hope in the resurrection. We have hope in the coming Kingdom. We have hope in cleansing and pardon in Christ. We have hope in our peace with God obtained by Christ. We have hope as we experience the peace of God through prayer. We have hope in affliction that the Lord will work all things together for our good. We need to pray that the Lord will strengthen us to lay all our burdens at the foot of the cross and trust His inscrutable Providence, which is also a biblical hope. We need to combat anxiety by going to the Lord in prayer. We read in Philippians 4:6-7, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
CHRISTIAN: "At times, I get depressed over my life. It always seems like things go contrary to what I desire."
PASTOR: Yes, life is hard, but God is always good. God is good all the time! We have hope in the Lord! Trust Him for He has promised to never leave you nor forsake you (Heb. 13:5). Remember Romans 8: "No condemnation" (8:1); "No separation" (8:38-39)! As Asaph declared, "Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God" (Psalm 43:5). "Our help is in the name of the LORD, Who made heaven and earth" (Psalm 124:8). The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 1:1 that Jesus Christ is "our hope." And the writer to the Hebrews tells us that our confidence in our "immutable God is a sure and steadfast anchor of our soul" (Heb. 6:18) that keeps us from drifting away from God and grants us ensuring hope. Simply stated, as believers, we abound with hope in Christ! He is the sure and steadfast anchor of our soul! Look upon Him, call upon Him, trust in Him, and life's difficulties will begin to lose their grip on your soul. Daily speak the Word of God to your soul. Don't let your heart speak but speak God's Word to your heart. Be like the psalmist and rehearse God's Word in your mind: "Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God" (Psalm 42:11). And again, "Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."
Trust the Lord, my dear friend, "Who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation!" (Psalm 68:19)
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THE EXCLUSIVE SAVIOR
Consider five ways in which Jesus alone qualifies as the exclusive Savior:
1. Christ alone was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14; Mt. 1:18-25; Lk. 1:26-38).
2. Christ alone is God incarnate (Jn. 1:1-18; Heb. 1:1-3; 2:14-28; Phil. 2:5-11; 1 Tim. 2:5-6).
3. Christ alone lived a sinless life (2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15; 7:23-28; 9:13-14; 1 Pet. 2:21-24).
4. Christ alone died a penal substitutionary death (Isa. 53:4-6; Rom. 3:21-26; 1 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:10-14).
5. Christ alone rose from the dead triumphant over sin (Ac. 2:22-24; Rom. 4:25; 1 Cor. 15:3-8, 16-23).
—Bruce Ware
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FAITHFUL PRAYER
“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”
—1 Peter 5:6-7
THE WORD "CASTING" in our text is used for throwing a covering on something. An example would be a blanket thrown on a bed. In the same way, Peter says, “Cast your cares upon the Lord.” All our discontent, discouragement, despair, questioning, pain, suffering, and sorrow must be given to the Lord, and we must trust the One who truly cares for the sheep of His pasture. Our text is a call for faithful prayer. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us to “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” 2 Kings 19 is an excellent example of trust and humble dependence upon God. King Hezekiah received a letter from Sennacherib, King of Assyria, which said, “The other nation’s gods could not stop me, neither can Israel’s God.” Hezekiah was completely dependent upon God to save him and his people from the King of Assyria, and Hezekiah demonstrated complete dependence by bowing before the Lord in prayer. And the Lord said, “Because you have prayed to Me … I have heard.” God fought the battle for Hezekiah because he humbled himself in the sight of God and gave his burden to the Lord.
THE LORD CARES for His people. Jesus said in Matthew 6:30, “Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” The Apostle Paul wrote, "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). And David wrote in Psalm 55:22, "Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” And by knowing, believing, trusting, and meditating on these precious truths the Holy Spirit will produce in every believer a Christ-like attitude of humility, trust, and dependence upon our God and Father, which is demonstrated by our faithful submission under God’s mighty hand. Take time today and relieve the burden of your heart by “Casting all your care upon the Lord” remembering the precious truth that “He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
Friday Devotional: November 29, 2024
In Christ,
Pastor S. Henry
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BE THANKFUL
“For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.”
—2 Corinthians 4:15
ON DECEMBER 4, 1619, a group of 38 English settlers arrived on the north bank of the James River about 20 miles upstream from Jamestown, where the first permanent settlement of the Colony of Virginia was established on May 14, 1607. The group's charter required that “the day of arrival be observed yearly, and perpetually kept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God.” On that first day, Captain John Woodleaf held the service of thanksgiving and all the people knelt down and gave thanks to God for their safe arrival. This was the beginning of Thanksgiving Day.
THE WORD OF GOD teaches us many things about thanksgiving that we should seek to remember. Scripture teaches that we must always give thanks to God. Thanksgiving should not be limited to special occasions, certain days, or particular times. For the Christian, thanksgiving is every moment of everyday our entire life. We are to always give thanks without exception. “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20).
SCRIPTURE ALSO TEACHES that we must give thanks for everything, not only for the pleasant things but also the unpleasant things. Job said, “Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept evil? The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD." We also read in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “In everything give thanks.” We are to be thankful always and for everything. Another thing the Word of God teaches is that at the heart of all true thanksgiving must be praise to God for His grace, mercy, and love shown to us through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 9:15, “Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift.” Christ is the unspeakable gift to which Paul refers (John 3:16).
TRUE THANKSGIVING IS not rooted in the material things we receive from God. True thanksgiving is rooted in God who sends everything, good and bad, for the salvation of all those He has given to His Son, Jesus Christ (John 6:37). God always uses all things for the eternal, spiritual good of all those who trust in Jesus Christ. Therefore, we can and must always give thanks to God in every situation because we know that in Christ, God is working all things together for our salvation, and with this we must be content (Rom. 8:28).
IF THE DARKEST PROVIDENCE you could imagine came upon you today, would you say, “Yet, I will rejoice in the Lord, I will give thanks to the God of my salvation”? (Habakkuk 3:18). Take time today to thank God for who He is and for all He has done for you in Jesus Christ! “To God be the glory, great things he has done! So loved he the world that he gave us his Son, who yielded his life an atonement for sin, and opened the life-gate that all may go in.”
THANKSGIVING DAY DEVOTIONAL
Thursday, November 28, 2024
In Christ,
Pastor S. Henry
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SACRAMENT OF THE LORD'S SUPPER
Members of Hope Reformed Church:
The Good Lord willing, this Sunday, December 1, 2024, we will celebrate the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. In order to prepare our hearts to receive this Holy Supper in a God-glorifying manner and for our spiritual benefit, please take time to read the form below and meditate upon the Scripture references listed, and examine your heart regarding this matter as to whether you truly believe God’s precious promise of forgiveness and righteousness in Jesus Christ.
A true examination of ourselves consists in these three parts:
1. Let everyone consider by himself his sins and accursedness apart from Jesus Christ, so that he may be displeased with himself and humble himself in the presence of God.
2. Let everyone examine his heart as to whether he truly believes this certain promise of God that all his sins are forgiven only for the sake of Jesus Christ.
3. Let everyone search his conscience whether he is determined to show his gratitude to God the Lord all the days of his life by walking uprightly before Him.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor S. Henry
THE LORD'S SUPPER
Beloved in the Lord Jesus: Listen to the words of the institution of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. “The Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body, which is broken for you; this do in remembrance of Me.’ In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ For as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.”
The Lord’s Supper is a sacrament instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Until His coming again it is to be observed as a continuing remembrance of the sacrifice of Himself in His death. The physical elements of bread and wine, representing the broken body and the shed blood of the Savior, are received by true believers as signs and seals of all the benefits of Christ's sacrifice on the cross. They signify and seal the remission of sins and nourishment and growth in Christ, and are a bond and pledge of the communion of believers with Him and with each other as members of His spiritual body, the Church. As signs and seals of the covenant of grace they not only declare that God is faithful and true to fulfill the promise of the covenant, but they also summon us to all the duties of the children of God, and call us to renewed consecration in gratitude for His salvation.
In order that we may celebrate the Lord’s Supper to our comfort, it is first necessary that we properly examine ourselves. A true examination of ourselves consists in these three parts: First, let everyone consider by himself his sins and accursedness apart from Jesus Christ, so that he may be displeased with himself and humble himself in the presence of God. Second, let everyone examine his heart as to whether he truly believes this certain promise of God that all his sins are forgiven only for the sake of Jesus Christ. Third, let everyone search his conscience whether he is determined to show his gratitude to God the Lord all the days of his life by walking uprightly before Him.
It is the solemn duty of the Minister of the Word to warn the uninstructed, the profane, the scandalous, and those who secretly and unrepentantly live in any sin, not to approach the holy table, where they would partake unworthily, not discerning the Lord’s body, and so eat and drink judgment to themselves. Nevertheless, this warning is not designed to keep the humble and contrite from the table of the Lord, as if the supper were for those who might be free from sin. On the contrary, we who are invited to the supper, come as guilty and polluted sinners who are without hope of eternal life apart from the grace of God in Christ. We confess our dependence for pardon and cleansing upon the perfect sacrifice of Christ; we base our hope of eternal life upon His perfect obedience and righteousness; and we humbly resolve to deny ourselves, crucify our old nature, and follow Christ as becomes those who bear His name.
—The RCUS Directory of Worship, pg. 33-35
Take time to read the following texts: Luke 22:14-20; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 1 Corinthians 11:23-34
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