Do you love God? How do you know?

Augustine observed, “There can only be two basic loves, the love of God unto the forgetfulness of self; or the love of self unto the forgetfulness and denial of God.” From that it might then be asked, “whom do you love supremely? God or yourself?” Now we all know what the answer should be — […]

Meditating on God in everyday events

Biblical meditation is filling our minds with the truth of God and then contemplating and thinking on that truth. Typically we think of meditation as something done in conjunction with reading our Bibles, and that certainly is part of meditation. However, as Thomas Watson demonstrates, meditation can be stimulated as we go through our day, […]

The flesh is weak

The crucifixion of Christ would occur within hours. So Jesus went to the garden to pray and asked the three disciples in the “inner core” — Peter, James, and John — to also pray (Mk. 14:32-42). These were not immature or ungodly men. They loved Christ. Peter had just professed that he would die for […]

Praise is becoming

One of the most common commands in Scripture is, “Praise the Lord” (or some derivation of that imperative). The follower of God is to give worship to and find joy in God in all things and at all times. Sometimes, the God-follower is simply commanded to praise God, and on other occasions, as in Psalm […]

“It is good for us to be here”

Two sentences prepared my heart for my Bible reading this morning. First, while reading Thomas Watson (reading a Puritan immediately after awakening is good and enlivening for the soul), I came across this sentence: “A man may be carnal while he is doing spiritual things…He delights in hearing [the Word of God] but it is […]

Book blurbs

In the interest of “something is better than nothing,” here are a few blurbs and comments on some books I’ve recently completed reading: Title: Bringing the Gospel Home: Witnessing to Family Members, Close Friends, and Others Who Know You Well Author: Randy Newman Publisher: Crossway, 2011, 216 pp., $14.99 Recommendation (4-star scale): Summary: Newman not […]

A Good Read: The Art of Divine Contentment

The Art of Divine Contentment is Watson’s exposition and explanation of the contented life from Philippians 4:11 — “I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content” (KJV). While little is known of Thomas Watson’s biographical information (we do not even know in what years he was born and died), Watson is […]

Some good words about thankfulness

On this Thanksgiving Day, here are five encouragements to God-honoring gratitude: “A gracious soul is thankful and rejoices that he is drawn nearer to God, though it may be by the cords of affliction.…When God has a rod in his hand, a godly man will have a psalm in his mouth.” [Thomas Watson, A Godly […]

This will take away your confidence

Thomas Watson, reflecting on Hebrews 4:16 articulates what encourages and what hinders a believer coming boldly into the presence of God: Holiness gives us boldness with God. ‘Thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles, and shalt lift up thy face unto God.’ Job 22:23, 26. Lifting up the face is an emblem of […]

Are we lovers of the Word?

Continuing the thoughts from yesterday, Thomas Watson asks the question, “Are we lovers of the Word?” He offers some tests of this aspect of our godliness. Let us test by this characteristic whether we are godly: Are we lovers of the Word? 1. Do we love the Word written? What sums of money the martyrs […]

Sunday Leftovers (9/11/11)

From Thomas Watson, The Godly Man’s Picture, who reiterates some of the same principles of how to read the Scriptures that we spoke of this morning: A godly man shows his love to the Word written: (i) By diligently reading it. The noble Bereans “searched the Scriptures daily” (Acts 17:11). Apollos was mighty in the […]

Preparing for tomorrow’s worship

How do you prepare yourself for worship? Do you prepare to hear the Word of God preached? Do you think about how you will listen to the sermon? Thomas Watson has some godly counsel for us: 2. The second duty of piety wherein we must provoke ourselves, is, in HEARING of the Word. We may […]

Creation reveals the wisdom of God

This morning Tim Challies posted this video to attempt to demonstrate the vastness of the universe: I obviously can’t agree with Sagan’s conclusions at the end of that clip. Thomas Watson was right when he wrote in A Body of Divinity (something I read this morning), that the created world reveals the wisdom of God: […]

God’s knowledge: a grace for sinners

Awareness of the knowledge of God is a preventative for sin. But God’s knowledge of us is also a grace to us, as Thomas Watson explains: The infiniteness of God’s knowledge is a comfort, in case the saints have not a clear knowledge of themselves. They find so much corruption, that they judge they have […]

God’s knowledge: a preventative for sin

Keeping out of sin sometimes sounds easier than it is. After a passionate sermon on Sunday morning, it might seem inconceivable that one would ever knowingly choose sin again. But after a series of offenses from a boss on Monday afternoon, sin might seem the only viable and rational response. How can we keep from […]