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If We Confess Our Sins
First John 1 reminds us that there is tension in the life of the believer, for just as believers will walk in holiness they will also sin. This is not a contradiction, for believers are not slaves to both holiness ...Read More
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Jonah’s Anger
Jonah’s depression over the death of a plant (Jonah 4:5–9), Dr. R.C. Sproul tells us, means that the prophet cared more about plants than about people. Jonah forgot that no sinner deserves God’s forgiveness—even ...Read More
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Keeping Watch
Do you keep watch over your life daily? List areas where you are most prone to temptation. Beside this list write out situations that are most likely to introduce such temptations. Ask God to help you watch for and guard ...Read More
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Learning Christ
John Calvin writes, “He whose life differs not from that of unbelievers, has learned nothing of Christ; for the knowledge of Christ cannot be separated from the mortification of the flesh.” Scripture never asserts that sinless perfection is attainable before ...Read More
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Living Coram Deo
In verse 10 of today’s passage, David begs the Lord to “renew a right spirit” within him. The “right” or “steadfast” disposition to love God affects our sin. We may go through extended periods of devotion, but when our ...Read More
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Loving Your Enemies
The old saying “love the sinner, hate the sin” is true insofar as it reflects our abilities. Our remaining sin makes it impossible for our hatred of the wicked and the violent to be pure and holy like God’s ...Read More
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Luther’s Search for Assurance
Do you continue to feel guilt for the sins you have committed but have confessed to the Lord? If so, know that you need no longer feel this guilt if you have trusted in Christ alone for your salvation. He ...Read More
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No Chance to Repent
John Owen tells us that Esau is a clear example of the truth that “no one knows where deliberate sin may lead.” Unrepentant, deliberate sin should cause us to question whether we are saved at all. If you are engaging ...Read More
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Obedience Not Sacrifice
Read again the final two verses of Psalm 40. Do you seek the Lord with gladness? Are you compelled to declare before men “The Lord be glorified”? Whether poor or rich, remember today that He who thinks of you is ...Read More
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Purging the Inward Parts
The process of repentance can be rough and hurt at first. But remember that the Lord chastises us at times because that is the way He chooses to restore us to full health (Hos. 6:1). If you are crushed ...Read More
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Reasoning with the LORD
Isaiah 1:18 is a great promise indeed, assuring us that no matter how much sin has stained our souls, God can cleanse us completely and make us stand before Him as His holy people. But for this to happen ...Read More
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Receiving Forgiveness
Godly fear makes us work out our salvation by seeking forgiveness in Jesus and living out His pardon in the fruits of a holy life and ministry to others (Phil. 2:12–13). Ungodly fear arrogantly assumes that God’s ...Read More
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Redemptive Discipline
In excommunication, Dr. John MacArthur writes, “the idea is not merely to punish the offender, or to shun him completely, but to remove him as a detrimental influence from the fellowship of the church, and then to regard him as ...Read More
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Refusing to Repent
Are you a hard learner? Does it take many knocks to teach you a lesson? Is there anything that keeps coming up in your life, some hardship or some difficulty, that seems to be teaching you a lesson that you ...Read More
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Repentance in Action
Repentance entails confessing one’s sin to the Lord and if necessary, to an offended person as well. But the reality of repentance (and faith in God) is shown in a good-faith effort to make restitution to those we have ...Read More
