The best things a man can do with his life surely are going to be incredibly difficult, but it’s worth it because it is for the church of Jesus Christ.
– Jim McCarthy (M.Div. 2015)
The Morning Devotional for February 20, 2023
The Westminster Confession of Faith 5.7
VII. As the providence of God doth, in general, reach to all creatures, so, after a most special manner, it taketh care of his Church, and disposeth all things to the good thereof.a
a. Isa 43:3-5, 14; Amos 9:8-9; Rom 8:28; 1 Tim 4:10.
Bannerman’s ‘The Church of Christ‘ is a large volume. But, as Jeff Kingswood shows in this video, it is full of crucial material for all Christians. banneroftruth.org
Prayer: Our blessed Father in heaven, we gladly come to you this morning as your children. We come to praise you for being our God and, through the work of your Son, redeeming us from a life of sin and misery and for adopting us as your sons and daughters. We praise you for who you are: sovereign and holy, glorious, and majestic. There is no God like you. We confess our sins to you — those things that your law prohibits. We have failed to obey you in all things joyfully. We have placed other things before you. We have not been entirely diligent in reading and following your Word. Forgive us, Father. We know that you gave your Word to us to help us and to be a light unto our path. We know, as pilgrims in this world, that we need the bread of life to sustain us each day. Grant to us your Spirit and give to us what you command: willing hearts to love and obey you in all that you have commanded us to do.
We pray for small churches today. We pray that you would sustain those congregations that are struggling. We pray that you would make her ministers faithful and diligent in their labors. We ask that you would provide for them in all things and that you would use them to advance your kingdom wherever they may be found. Bless and keep them and use them as salt and light in a dark and dying world. We pray these things in the name of the King and Head of the church, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Scripture meditation: Ex. 12; Dan. 4: Psa. 115:3; Ex. 20:1-17; Psa. 119
Tags: #adoption #sovereign #obedience #church #kingdom
Voddie Baucham preached in the eleventh session of the 2017 G3 Conference. His topic was, “The Need for Reformation in Evangelical Ecclesiology.” The original video can be found here.
