Devotionals

Daily readings to encourage your heart and mind in the pursuit of God and his glory.

  • The Prayer of Habakkuk

    Habakkuk 3:1–16

    When we are having difficulty trusting the Lord, it can be helpful for us to recount all the ways in which He has been faithful in the past. First, we should remember how God kept His promises to Noah, Abraham, ...Read More

  • The Spirit and the Lord’s Servant

    Isaiah 61:1–3

    Isaiah 61:3 indicates that one result of the Messiah’s work is to make His people “oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD.” This is an image of permanence, of life in God’s presence forever. John Calvin comments, “There ...Read More

  • The Ruler from Bethlehem

    Micah 5:1–5

    The scribes in Matthew 2:1–6 answer Herod with an interpretive gloss that says Bethlehem is not the least of the clans of Judah because of the Messiah. Though many of them would reject Jesus, this interpretive reading implicitly recognizes the ...Read More

  • The Servant Comes to the Synagogue

    Luke 4:16–30

    When Christ came the first time, His primary aim was not condemnation. Condemnation was more of a secondary but inevitable consequence of rejecting His gracious salvation. “Whoever believes in [the Son] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is ...Read More

  • Justification by Faith Alone

    John 8:46

    Because we are sinners, we can do nothing in and of ourselves to merit eternal life. Even after we are saved, our best works remain tainted by sin and cannot produce the perfection we need for a righteous standing before ...Read More

  • Christ Our Ransom

    Mark 10:35–45

    Jesus ransoms us from the wrath of God, which means that we never need fear His condemnation if we trust in Christ alone for our salvation. In ransoming us from God’s wrath, our Savior also rescues us from bondage to ...Read More

  • The Need for Atonement

    1 Corinthians 2:1–5

    In other religions, such as Islam and Judaism, God simply waves sin away, not requiring payment for transgressions in order to forgive. This idea betrays a view of a Creator who is not really all that holy, who ultimately is ...Read More

  • The Vindicated Sufferer

    Isaiah 53:10–12

    If we are not careful, we will miss what is perhaps the most beautiful truth taught in Isaiah 53: the Messiah does not fail to save His people. He actually and fully saves them from first to last. Isaiah will ...Read More

  • The Willing Sufferer

    Isaiah 53:4–9

    Born in Adam, we are God’s enemies as long as we remain in Adam and are unwilling to obey Him. This disobedience must be atoned for, but only willing obedience can cover disobedience. When the Messiah went to the cross, ...Read More

  • The Suffering Servant

    Isaiah 52:13–53:3

    John Calvin comments on today’s passage as to why salvation through the Suffering Servant is so despised the world over: “The loftiness of the mystery is a reason why it scarcely obtains credit in the world. It is reckoned to ...Read More

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