God and Governing Conference this Week

This is the week of the God and Governing Conference hosted by Trinity Law School and we are busy putting together all the final pieces in preparation for a great conference. We are still taking last minute registration if you are able to attend. Contact Chris at 800-922-4748 for more info. With all the work to be done, this will most likely be my last post until next week.

God Bless,

Doug



Here is more info on the conference if you are interested...

God and Governing Conference:

A Conference on Ethics, Virtue, and Statesmanship

February 1-2, 2008Westin South Coast PlazaCosta Mesa, California

Featured Speakers:
Os Guinness Distinguished writer and speaker,Cofounder of The Trinity Forum

Dallas Willard Professor of Philosophy,University of Southern California

David Wells Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology,Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

Paul Marshall Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom

Stephen Kennedy Associate Professor, Trinity Graduate School and Trinity Law School

Donald McConnell Academic Dean, Trinity Law School

Vishal Mangalwadi International Lecturer, Social Reformer, Political Columnist Author of Thirteen Books

Pat Nolan President, Justice Fellowship, Prison Fellowship Ministries

Sponsored by: Trinity Law School and Trinity Graduate School.

He Restores My Soul - Psalm 23:3

Dead. Black. Harmful. Guilty. These are not words that describe a mere principle that worked within me, they described me. Though life coursed through my veins I was spiritually dead, and death was to be the only wage I would merit. Not simply physical death, but eternal death. Flesh was the only word that could described me. As in death my eyes were closed and lifeless, there was no light allowed to enter because I loved the darkness. Blackness permeated everything I was. Though my eyes could see, in rebellion they would not look upon light and life. All my actions, though I boasted of goodness, were done in darkness, and because of this I was harmful; harmful to myself and to those around me, and none of it was accidental or blameless. In all of it I was culpable for I had gone astray.

Broken, Injured. Restless. Fearful. Of no merit in myself and entirely for His name’s sake, He called this wandering sheep. For the first time I heard His voice and it me gave life, and light began to penetrate my soul. And though still somewhat harmful something had changed. Something old had passed away and all things were becoming new. Yet in it all I was still broken. I had injured myself and those around me, and in restlessness and fear I began to wonder if He could give me all He promised.

Guided. Nourished. Protected. Loved. From a distance I followed His voice learning that He would only lead me to places that would be for my advantage. In all His leading He began to feed my wounded soul with nourishment that could not be found from any other source. In my ignorance I would wander from time to time but He never failed to fend off the enemies of my soul with His rod, and if necessary He would even use His rod to chasten me. When my foolish legs began to wander He did not hesitate to wound them. Then in my weakness He would gather me up into His arms and keep me close and protect me from myself while I would mend. In those times I began to know Him better, and as He spoke to me using a name that was all my own, I knew I was loved.

Peace. Comfort. Fearless. Endless. My Shepherd’s name is Jesus and He restores my soul. I now lay down in peace wherever He leads me and I shall not be in want. I am comforted by His rod and staff and now long to be at my Shepherd’s side. No longer do I fear evil for He is with me. His goodness and mercy will be with me all the days of my life and my dwelling in the house of the Lord will be endless.

Doug

"Thou Art With Me" Psalm 23:4

“Thou art with me.” Do you know the sweetness, the security, the strength of “Thou art with me”? When anticipating the solemn hour of death, when the soul is ready to halt and ask, How shall it then be? can you turn in soul-affection to your God and say, “There is nothing in death to harm me, while thy love is left to me”? Can you say, “O death, where is thy sting”? It is said, when a bee has left its sting in any one, it has no more power to hurt. Death has left its sting in the humanity of Christ, and has no more power to harm his child. Christ's victory over the grave is his people's. “At that moment I am with you,” whispers Christ; “the same arm you have proved strong and faithful all the way up through the wilderness, which has never failed, though you have been often forced to lean on it all your weakness.” “On this arm,” answers the believer, “I feel at home; with soul-confidence, I repose on my Beloved; for he has supported through so many difficulties, from the contemplation of which I shuddered. He has carried over so many depths, that I know his arm to be the arm of love.” How can that be dark, in which God's child is to have the accomplishment of the longing desire of his life? How can it be dark to come in contact with the light of life? It is “his rod, his staff;” therefore they “comfort.” Prove him - prove him now, believer! it is your privilege to do so. It will be precious to him to support your weakness; prove that when weak, then are you strong; that you may be secure, his strength shall be perfected in your perfect weakness. Omnipotent love must fail before one of his sheep can perish; for, says Christ, “none shall pluck my sheep out of my hand.” “I and my Father are one;” therefore we may boldly say, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me”

-Viscountess Powerscourt-

The Good Fight of Faith - J. Gresham Machen

Below is a quote by J. Gresham Machen from the 1930’s laying out the battles taking place in the church. In the quote Machen rightly ascribes these battles to the modernists of his day. What is amazing about this quote is that it perfectly captures the arguments of the post-moderns in the church today.

"You will have battles when you go forth as minister into the church. The church is now in a period of deadly conflict. The redemptive religion known as Christianity is contending, in our own church and in the all the larger churches of the world, against a totally alien type of religion. As always, the enemy conceals his most dangerous assaults under pious phrases and half-truths. The shibboleths of the adversary have sometimes a very deceptive sound. ‘Let us propagate Christianity,’ the adversary says, ‘but let us not always be engaged in arguing in defense of it; let us make our preaching positive, and not negative; let us avoid controversy; let us hold to a Person and not to a dogma; let us sink small doctrinal differences and seek the unity of the church of Christ; let us drop doctrinal accretions and interpret Christ for ourselves; let us look for our knowledge of Christ, not to ancient books, but to the living Christ in our hearts; let us not impose Western creeds on the Eastern mind; let us be tolerant [think all views are equally correct] of opposing views.’ Such are some of the shibboleths of that agnostic Modernism which is the deadliest enemy of the Christian religion today. They deceive some of God’s people some of the time; they are heard sometimes from the lips of good Christian people, who have not the slightest inkling of what they mean. But their true meaning, to thinking men, is becoming increasingly clear. Increasingly it is becoming necessary for a man to decide whether he is going to stand or not to stand for the Lord Jesus Christ as he is presented to us in the word of God."

J. Gresham Machen – The Good Fight of Faith (sermon)

Let's Talk Post-Modernism and the Emergent Church...

Directions for the Acquisition of Christian Knowledge -Jonathan Edwards

1. Be assiduous in reading the Holy Scriptures. This is the fountain whence all knowledge in divinity must be derived.Therefore let not this treasure lie by you neglected. Every man of common understanding who can read, may, if he please, become well acquainted with the Scriptures. And what an excellent attainment would this be!

2. Content not yourselves with only a cursory reading, without regarding the sense. This is an ill way of reading, to which, however, many accustom themselves all their days. When you read, observe what you read. Observe how things come in. Take notice of the drift of the discourse, and compare one scripture with another. For the Scripture, by the harmony of its different; parts, casts great light upon itself.—We are expressly directed by Christ, to search the Scriptures, which evidently intends something more than a mere cursory reading. And use means to find out the meaning of the Scripture. When you have it explained in the preaching of the word, take notice of it; and if at any time a scripture that you did not understand be cleared up to your satisfaction, mark it, lay it up, and if possible remember it.

3. Procure, and diligently use, other books which may help you to grow in this knowledge. There are many excellent books extant, which might greatly forward you in this knowledge, and afford you a very profitable and pleasant entertainment in your leisure hours. There is doubtless a great defect in many, that through a lothness to be at a little expense, they furnish themselves with no more helps of this nature. They have a few books indeed, which now and then on sabbath-days they read; but they have had them so long, and read them so often, that they are weary of them, and it is now become a dull story, a mere task to read them.

4. Improve conversation with others to this end. How much might persons promote each other's knowledge in divine things, if they would improve conversation as they might; if men that are ignorant were not ashamed to show their ignorance, and were willing to learn of others; if those that have knowledge would communicate it, without pride and ostentation; and if all were more disposed to enter on such conversation as would be for their mutual edification and instruction.

5. Seek not to grow in knowledge chiefly for the sake of applause, and to enable you to dispute with others; but seek it for the benefit of your souls, and in order to practice.—If applause be your end, you will not be so likely to be led to the knowledge of the truth, but may justly, as often is the case of those who are proud of their knowledge, be led into error to your own perdition. This being your end, if you should obtain much rational knowledge, it would not be likely to be of any benefit to you, but would puff you up with pride: 1 Cor. viii. 1. " Knowledge puffeth up."6. Seek to God, that he would direct you, and bless you, in this pursuit after knowledge. This is the apostle's direction, James i. 5. " If any man lack wisdom, let him ask it of God, who giveth to all liberally, and upbraideth not." God is the fountain of all divine knowledge: Prov. ii.

6. "The Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding." Labour to be sensible of your own blindness and ignorance, and your need of the help of God, lest you be led into error, instead of true knowledge: 1 Cor. iii. 18. " If any man would be wise, let him become a fool, that he may be wise."7. Practice according to what knowledge you have. This will be the way to know more. The psalmist warmly recommends this way of seeking knowledge in divine truth, from his own experience: Psal. cxix. 100. " I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts." Christ also recommends the same: John vii. 17. "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself."

-Jonathan Edwards-

God is Angry with the Wicked Every Day

God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day. Psa 7:11

They are children of wrath. They are not to be envied, for God is angry with them, is angry with the wicked every day. They are every day doing that which is provoking to him, and he resents it, and treasures it up against the day of wrath. As his mercies are new every morning towards his people, so his anger is new every morning against the wicked, upon the fresh occasions given for it by their renewed transgressions. God is angry with the wicked even in the merriest and most prosperous of their days, even in the days of their devotion; for, if they be suffered to prosper, it is in wrath; if they pray, their very prayers are an abomination. The wrath of God abides upon them (Joh_3:36) and continual additions are made to it.

-Matthew Henry-

On Christian Counselors Operating from Non-Christian Worldviews

I have a high respect for Christian counselors, especially when they are offering truly Godly advice to those in their care. What concerns me is when they start giving advice that is based upon non-Christian worldviews, and unfortunately it happens much too often. Recently I received an email from New Man Magazine. In the email newsletter it had a link to an article on dealing with lustful thoughts. Here is what I read on how to deal with inappropriate sexual thoughts...

"Unfortunately, many men have conditioned themselves in adolescence with airbrushed, fantasy babes who only look like real people. If you are lusting and objectifying women throughout the day, then you are more likely to also struggle in this area in the bedroom. You need to recondition your brain.

You can actually redirect your brain's chemical pathways by placing a rubber band on your wrist and snapping it every time you objectify a woman. This way, you'll stop "rewarding" your brain for lusting, and it will begin to connect the lustful thoughts with the "ouch" pain rather than pleasure. In my many years of counseling men in this area, I've seen this exercise successfully shut down more than 80 percent of lustful thoughts or fantasies within one month! "

What is disturbing about this answer is that it seems to be largely based on behaviorism, which is a theory that is built off of a naturalistic worldview, and at its core is Anti-Christian. We are more than responses to stimuli, and the sinful nature will never be subdued by mere physiological conditioning. And even if it could, how do we know that the sexual thoughts mixed with pain would not begin to be linked, thus making the person slightly masochistic. Sin is much deeper than "brain chemical pathways," and to treat it as such is a denial of Biblical truth, even if that denial is an unconscious one. If you are struggling with inappropriate sexual thoughts and this is the bulk of the response you receive, prepare to be disappointed.

Now I am not making a blanket judgment upon everything this counselor has written, especially since this is the only thing I've read from him. Nor do I think that this author would take it as far as I have. And I'm not even saying that behavior can't be changed by linking it to something unpleasant. I am simply stating that speaking of it in entirely behovioristic terms is to operate from a non-Christian worldview. Our thoughts and desires are not merely physiological but spiritual.

We must be sure, in whichever discipline we are working, to think like Christians and be a bit more careful with the answers we give. Because trying to promote Godly truth by leaning on worldviews, even mildly, that were built upon the suppression of His truth is like trying to lose weight by over-eating.

You can read the entire article here

Doug

Postmodernism and the Church MP3's

Here are some links to a lecture series on Postmodernism and the Emergent Church for those of you who might be interested. The lecture series took place at Cornerstone Church in Riverside CA.

Evangelizing a Postmodern World, Christopher Neiswonger
The First Foundation Stone of Christian Worldview, Jay Wegter
Postmodernism and the Church Troy Lambert
The Power of Biblical Worldview in Evangelism, Jay Wegter
Finding Christ in the Postmodern Matrix, Craig Hazen

Doug

HT: to Teampyro for the poster

The Song of the Slandered Saint

O Lord my God, in You I put my trust; Save me from all those who persecute me; And deliver me, Lest they tear me like a lion, Rending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver. O Lord my God, if I have done this: If there is iniquity in my hands, If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me, Or have plundered my enemy without cause, Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me; Yes, let him trample my life to the earth, And lay my honor in the dust. Selah Arise, O Lord, in Your anger; Lift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies; Rise up for me to the judgment You have commanded! So the congregation of the peoples shall surround You; For their sakes, therefore, return on high. The Lord shall judge the peoples; Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, And according to my integrity within me. Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, But establish the just; For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds. My defense is of God, Who saves the upright in heart. God is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day. If he does not turn back, He will sharpen His sword; He bends His bow and makes it ready. He also prepares for Himself instruments of death; He makes His arrows into fiery shafts. Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity; Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood. He made a pit and dug it out, And has fallen into the ditch which he made. His trouble shall return upon his own head, And his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown. I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness, And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

Psalm 7 - A Meditation of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite.


"Lest he tear my soul like a lion," etc. It is reported of tigers, that they enter into a rage upon the scent of fragrant spices; so do ungodly men at the blessed savour of godliness. I have read of some barbarous nations, who, when the sun shines hot upon them, they shoot up their arrows against it; so do wicked men at the light and heat of godliness. There is a natural antipathy between the spirits of godly men and the wicked. Gen_3:15. "I will put enmity between thy seed and her seed."

-Jeremiah Burroughs-

Even this sorest of evils may furnish occasion for a Psalm. What a blessing would it be if we could turn even the most disastrous event into a theme for song, and so turn the tables upon our great enemy. Let us learn a lesson from Luther, who once said, "David made Psalms; we also will make Psalms, and sing them as well as we can to the honour of our Lord, and to spite and mock the devil."

-Charles Spurgeon-

To the Disheartened

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul?" Psa_43:5

It is one source of the eternal freshness of the Psalms that they tell the story of a struggling soul. They open a window on to that battlefield with which no other battle can be compared—the moral struggle of the individual with himself. And it is well that that story should be told in poetry, for there is nothing like poetry for describing battles. There is a rich suggestiveness in poetry, a rush of emotion, an enthusiasm that catches and conveys the excitement of the field. The dullest war correspondent grows poetical, his words become colored, vivid, picturesque, when he narrates the actions in the war. It was right, then, that for this warfare of the soul we should have the strong music of the Psalms.

Now as we read that story of the psalmist's struggle, one of the first things to arrest us is the likeness of that battle to our own. Ages have fled, and everything is different since the shepherd-king poured out his heart in melody. And yet his failures and his hopes are so like ours, he might have been shepherding and reigning yesterday. We are so apt to think we fight alone. We are so prone to think there never was a life so weak, so ragged, so full of a dull gnawing, as ours. We are so ready to believe that we have suffered more than any heart that ever loved and lost. And then God opens up the heart of David, and we see its failures and we hear its cries, and the sense of loneliness at least is gone. He prayed as we have prayed. He fell as we have fallen. He rose and started again as we have done. He was disheartened, and so are we.

Speaking of disheartenment, there is one temperament that is peculiarly exposed to that temptation. It is that of the eager and sensitive and earnest soul. If you are never in earnest about anything, you may escape disheartening altogether. To be disheartened is a kind of price we pay for having a glimpse at the heavens now and then.

"The mark of rank in nature is capacity for pain;
And the anguish of the singer makes the sweetness of the strain."

So the dull pain of being disheartened now and then is the other side of man's capacity for enthusiasm. Give me a flood-tide and I shall expect an ebb. Give me an earnest, daring, generous, loyal heart, and I shall know where to discover melancholy.

-George H. Morrison- Devotional Sermons

An Illustration of New Life in Christ

And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, Eze 11:19

Distressed Yet Victorious

And He took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled. Mark 14:33

If our Lord, who was sinless, had times in which He became distressed, how should we who are sinful expect to escape them? There have been many people who have preached a skewed understanding of the "Victorious Christian life". Although this is never actually stated, if you extend the arguments out, what is sometimes implied with this type of teaching is that if we walk close enough to the Lord, and spend enough time in prayer and devotion, we will attain some type of abundant life which enables us to walk in victory and be above sin and distress. When trials come, our faith will be solid and we will feel at perfect rest knowing God is in control. And there are clearly times when we will go through outward trials with this sort of inner success. But to imagine that we can reach a point where we will not have times of heaviness and distress is not Scriptural. For even our Lord had to face times like this, and He had no sin to remember in His times of trouble.

Times of distress will plague us all, but in our distress we are not to feel like we have not reached some spiritual peak. Or as if we lack some, deeper Christian life. This type of thinking can lead to a spiritual elitism, which can excite pride. In fact, many in the church get so caught up in trying to reach these allusive spiritual peaks, that they have forgotten what pure an undefiled religion is, visiting orphans and widows, helping the poor and the down trodden, and extending grace to the sinner.

The very phrase "Victorious Christian life" is redundant because to be a Christian is to be victorious. You cannot be a child of God and not have the victory. If you are a child of God, He is your Shepherd and this Shepherd will not fail. Though He may bring you through High water, He will be with you. In the dark valley of death you may tremble, but He will not falter. There will be times where He will forge you over the fires, and all of this is done is to fulfill His purposes in your life. But this does not mean the fire will not be hot, or that the hammer will not sting. As one southern preacher said, "When the Lord sends tribulation, He ‘spects us to tribulate." As Christians, we will share in the sufferings of Christ and this suffering causes pain and distress, if it doesn’t, it’s not suffering.

When trouble and distress are upon us, we are to fight it, not by trying to reach some higher state of spirituality, but by holding on to the truth that He will bring us through every trial victoriously. And nothing, not even death itself can separate us from His love. Failure and victory are not determined by feelings, but by our actual position in Christ regardless of what our feelings tell us. Trust Him to lead you through and remember when Christ looks on those who are distressed, He has compassion, and is near to those who call upon Him in prayer. At times, we may be hard pressed on every side but we will not be crushed. And we must remember that the distress our Lord felt in the scripture above, led to the greatest victory that has ever been won.

My soul at times will not be still,

And tremblings with my heart doth fill

Yet perfect bliss was not His pledge

Nor paradise within His hedge

But every trial will be endured.

The victory has been secured.

And death itself’s a vanquished foe

By resurrection’s mighty blow.

-Doug Eaton-

Read the Bible in a Year (Calendar)

Follow this plan and you will complete the Bible in a year. The links are included so you can read the daily selection online if you would like.

Jan 1: Gen 1-3

Jan 2: Gen 4-7

Jan 3: Gen 8-11

Jan 4: Gen 12-15

Jan 5: Gen 16-18

Jan 6: Gen 19-21

Jan 7: Gen 22-24

Jan 8: Gen 25-26

Jan 9: Gen 27-29

Jan 10: Gen 30-31

Jan 11: Gen 32-34

Jan 12: Gen 35-37

Jan 13: Gen 38-40

Jan 14: Gen 41-42

Jan 15: Gen 43-45

Jan 16: Gen 46-47

Jan 17: Gen 48-50

Jan 18: Ex 1-3

Jan 19: Ex 4-6

Jan 20: Ex 7-9

Jan 21: Ex 10-12

Jan 22: Ex 13-15

Jan 23: Ex 16-18

Jan 24: Ex 19-21

Jan 25: Ex 22-24

Jan 26: Ex 25-27

Jan 27: Ex 28-29

Jan 28: Ex 30-32

Jan 29: Ex 33-35

Jan 30: Ex 36-38

Jan 31: Ex 39-40
Feb 1: Lev 1-4

Feb 2: Lev 5-7
Feb 3: Lev 8-10

Feb 4: Lev 11-13

Feb 5: Lev 14-15
Feb 6: Lev 16-18

Feb 7: Lev 19-21

Feb 8: Lev 22-23

Feb 9: Lev 24-25

Feb 10: Lev 26-27
Feb 11: Num 1-2

Feb 12: Num 3-4
Feb 13: Num 5-6

Feb 14: Num 7

Feb 15: Num 8-10
Feb 16: Num 11-13

Feb 17: Num 14-15

Feb 18: Num 16-17

Feb 19: Num 18-20

Feb 20: Num 21-22

Feb 21: Num 23-25

Feb 22: Num 26-27

Feb 23: Num 28-30

Feb 24: Num 31-32

Feb 25: Num 33-34

Feb 26: Num 35-36

Feb 27: Deut 1-2

Feb 28/29: Deut 3-4

Mar 1: Deut 5-7

Mar 2: Deut 8-10

Mar 3: Deut 11-13

Mar 4: Deut 14-16

Mar 5: Deut 17-20

Mar 6: Deut 21-23

Mar 7: Deut 24-27

Mar 8: Deut 28-29

Mar 9: Deut 30-31

Mar 10: Deut 32-34

Mar 11: Josh 1-4

Mar 12: Josh 5-8

Mar 13: Josh 9-11

Mar 14: Josh 12-15
Mar 15: Josh 16-18

Mar 16: Josh 19-21

Mar 17: Josh 22-24

Mar 18: Jud 1-2

Mar 19: Jud 3-5

Mar 20: Jud 6-7

Mar 21: Jud 8-9

Mar 22: Jud 10-12

Mar 23: Jud 13-15

Mar 24: Jud 16-18

Mar 25: Jud 19-21

Mar 26: 1Sam 1-3

Mar 27: 1Sam 4-8

Mar 28: 1Sam 9-12

Mar 29: 1Sam 13-14

Mar 30: 1Sam 15-17

Mar 31: 1Sam 18-20

Apr 1: 1Sam 21-24

Apr 2: 1Sam 25-27

Apr 3: 1Sam 28-31

Apr 4: 2Sam 1-3

Apr 5: 2Sam 4-6

Apr 6: 2Sam 7-10

Apr 7: 2Sam 11-13

Apr 8: 2Sam 14-15

Apr 9: 2Sam 16-18

Apr 10: 2Sam 19-21

Apr 11: 2Sam 22-24

Apr 12: 1King 1-2

Apr 13: 1King 3-5

Apr 14: 1King 6-7

Apr 15: 1King 8-9

Apr 16: 1King 10-11

Apr 17: 1King 12-14

Apr 18: 1King 15-17

Apr 19: 1King 18-20

Apr 20: 1King 21-22

Apr 21: 2King 1-4

Apr 22: 2King 5-8

Apr 23: 2King 9-11

Apr 24: 2King 12-14

Apr 25: 2King 15-17

Apr 26: 2King 18-19

Apr 27: 2King 20-22

Apr 28: 2King 23-25

Apr 29: Is 1-4

Apr 30: Is 5-8

May 1: Is 9-12

May 2: Is 13-17

May 3: Is 18-22

May 4: Is 23-27

May 5: Is 28-30

May 6: Is 31-35

May 7: Is 36-41

May 8: Is 42-44

May 9: Is 45-48

May 10: Is 49-53

May 11: Is 54-58

May 12: Is 59-63
May 13: Is 64-66

May 14: Jer 1-3

May 15: Jer 4-6

May 16: Jer 7-9

May 17: Jer 10-13

May 18: Jer 14-17

May 19: Jer 18-22

May 20: Jer 23-25

May 21: Jer 26-29

May 22: Jer 30-31

May 23: Jer 32-34

May 24: Jer 35-37

May 25: Jer 38-41

May 26: Jer 42-45
May 27: Jer 46-48

May 28: Jer 49-50

May 29: Jer 51-52

May 30: Ezek 1-3

May 31: Ezek 4-7

Jun 1: Ezek 8-10

Jun 2: Ezek 11-12

Jun 3: Ezek 13-15

Jun 4: Ezek 16-17

Jun 5: Ezek 18-20

Jun 6: Ezek 21-23

Jun 7: Ezek 24-27

Jun 8: Ezek 28-31

Jun 9: Ezek 32-34

Jun 10: Ezek 35-38

Jun 11: Ezek 39-41

Jun 12: Ezek 42-43

Jun 13: Ezek 44-45

Jun 14: Ezek 46-48

Jun 15: Hosea 1-7

Jun 16: Hosea 8-14

Jun 17: Joel

Jun 18: Amos 1-5

Jun 19: Amos 6-9

Jun 20: Obadiah; Jonah

Jun 21: Micah

Jun 22: Nahum; Habakkuk

Jun 23: Zephaniah; Haggai

Jun 24: Zech 1-7

Jun 25: Zech 8-14

Jun 26: Malachi

Jun 27: Ps 1-8

Jun 28: Ps 9-16

Jun 29: Ps 17-20

Jun 30: Ps 21-25

Jul 1: Ps 26-31

Jul 2: Ps 32-35

Jul 3: Ps 36-39

Jul 4: Ps 40-45

Jul 5: Ps 46-50

Jul 6: Ps 51-57

Jul 7: Ps 58-65

Jul 8: Ps 66-69

Jul 9: Ps 70-73

Jul 10: Ps 74-77

Jul 11: Ps 78-79

Jul 12: Ps 80-85

Jul 13: Ps 86-89

Jul 14: Ps 90-95

Jul 15: Ps 96-102

Jul 16: Ps 103-105

Jul 17: Ps 106-107

Jul 18: Ps 108-114

Jul 19: Ps 115-118

Jul 20: Ps 119:1-88

Jul 21: Ps 119:89-176

Jul 22: Ps 120-132

Jul 23: Ps 133-139

Jul 24: Ps 140-145

Jul 25: Ps 146-150

Jul 26: Prov 1-3

Jul 27: Prov 4-6

Jul 28: Prov 7-9

Jul 29: Prov 10-12

Jul 30: Prov 13-15

Jul 31: Prov 16-18

Aug 1: Prov 19-21

Aug 2: Prov 22-23

Aug 3: Prov 24-26

Aug 4: Prov 27-29

Aug 5: Prov 30-31

Aug 6: Job 1-5

Aug 7: Job 6-9
Aug 8: Job 10-13

Aug 9: Job 14-16

Aug 10: Job 17-20

Aug 11: Job 21-23

Aug 12: Job 24-28

Aug 13: Job 29-31

Aug 14: Job 32-34

Aug 15: Job 35-37

Aug 16: Job 38-39

Aug 17: Job 40-42

Aug 18: Solomon

Aug 19: Ruth

Aug 20: Lam 1-3:36

Aug 21: Lam 3:37-5:22

Aug 22: Ecc 1-4

Aug 23: Ecc 5-8

Aug 24: Ecc 9-12

Aug 25: Est 1-3

Aug 26: Est 4-6

Aug 27: Est 7-10

Aug 28: Dan 1-2

Aug 29: Dan 3-4

Aug 30: Dan 5-6

Aug 31: Dan 7-8

Sep 1: Dan 9-10

Sep 2: Dan 11-12

Sep 3: Ezra 1-2

Sep 4: Ezra 3-5

Sep 5: Ezra 6-7

Sep 6: Ezra 8-10

Sep 7: Neh 1-3

Sep 8: Neh 4-6

Sep 9: Neh 7-8

Sep 10: Neh 9-11

Sep 11: Neh 12-13

Sep 12: 1Chron 1-2

Sep 13: 1Chron 3-5

Sep 14: 1Chron 6

Sep 15: 1Chron 7-8

Sep 16: 1Chron 9-10

Sep 17: 1Chron 11-12

Sep 18: 1Chron 13-15

Sep 19: 1Chron 16-17

Sep 20: 1Chron 18-20

Sep 21: 1Chron 21-23

Sep 22: 1Chron 24-25

Sep 23: 1Chron 26-27

Sep 24: 1Chron 28-29

Sep 25: 2Chron 1-4

Sep 26: 2Chron 5-7

Sep 27: 2Chron 8-10

Sep 28: 2Chron 11-14

Sep 29: 2Chron 15-18

Sep 30: 2Chron 19-21

Oct 1: 2Chron 22-24

Oct 2: 2Chron 25-27

Oct 3: 2Chron 28-29

Oct 4: 2Chron 30-32

Oct 5: 2Chron 33-34

Oct 6: 2Chron 35-36

Oct 7: James

Oct 8: Gal 1-3

Oct 9: Gal 4-6

Oct 10: 1Thess

Oct 11: 2Thess

Oct 12: 1Cor 1-4

Oct 13: 1Cor 5-8

Oct 14: 1Cor 9-11

Oct 15: 1Cor 12-14

Oct 16: 1Cor 15-16

Oct 17: 2Cor 1-4

Oct 18: 2Cor 5-9

Oct 19: 2Cor 10-13
Oct 20: Rom 1-3

Oct 21: Rom 4-7

Oct 22: Rom 8-10

Oct 23: Rom 11-13

Oct 24: Rom 14-16

Oct 25: Matt 1-4

Oct 26: Matt 5-7

Oct 27: Matt 8-9

Oct 28: Matt 10-12

Oct 29: Matt 13-14

Oct 30: Matt 15-17

Oct 31: Matt 18-20

Nov 1: Matt 21-22

Nov 2: Matt 23-24

Nov 3: Matt 25-26

Nov 4: Matt 27-28

Nov 5: Mark 1-3

Nov 6: Mark 4-5

Nov 7: Mark 6-7

Nov 8: Mark 8-9

Nov 9: Mark 10-11

Nov 10: Mark 12-13

Nov 11: Mark 14

Nov 12: Mark 15-16

Nov 13: Luke 1

Nov 14: Luke 2-3

Nov 15: Luke 4-5

Nov 16: Luke 6-7

Nov 17: Luke 8-9

Nov 18: Luke 10-11

Nov 19: Luke 12-13

Nov 20: Luke 14-16

Nov 21: Luke 17-18

Nov 22: Luke 19-20

Nov 23: Luke 21-22

Nov 24: Luke 23-24

Nov 25: Eph 1-3

Nov 26: Eph 4-6

Nov 27: Col; Philemon

Nov 28: Philippians

Nov 29: Acts 1-3

Nov 30: Acts 4-6

Dec 1: Acts 7-8

Dec 2: Acts 9-10

Dec 3: Acts 11-13

Dec 4: Acts 14-16

Dec 5: Acts 17-19

Dec 6: Acts 20-22

Dec 7: Acts 23-25

Dec 8: Acts 26-28

Dec 9: 1Timothy

Dec 10: Titus

Dec 11: 1Peter

Dec 12: Heb 1-6

Dec 13: Heb 7-10

Dec 14: Heb 11-13

Dec 15: 2Timothy

Dec 16: 2Peter; Jude

Dec 17: John 1-2

Dec 18: John 3-4

Dec 19: John 5-6

Dec 20: John 7-8

Dec 21: John 9-10

Dec 22: John 11-12

Dec 23: John 13-15

Dec 24: John 16-18

Dec 25: John 19-21

Dec 26: 1John

Dec 27: 2John; 3John

Dec 28: Rev 1-5

Dec 29: Rev 6-11

Dec 30: Rev 12-18

Dec 31: Rev 19-22

The Heavy Hand of God - John Calvin

For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me. Psalm 32:4

The greatest of all afflictions is to be so heavily pressed with the hand of God, that the sinner feels he has to do with a Judge whose indignation and severity involve in them many deaths, besides eternal death. David, accordingly, complains that his moisture was dried up, not merely from simply meditating on his sore afflictions, but because he had discovered their cause and spring. The whole strength of men fails when God appears as a Judge and humbles and lays them prostrate by exhibiting the signs of his displeasure. Then is fulfilled the saying of Isaiah, “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it.” (Isaiah 40:7)

The Psalmist, moreover, tells us, that it was no common chastisement by which he had been taught truly to fear the divine wrath; for the hand of the Lord ceased not to be heavy upon him both day and night. From a child, indeed, he had been inspired with the fear of God, by the secret influence of the Holy Spirit, and had been taught in true religion and godliness by sound doctrine and instruction. And yet so insufficient was this instruction for his attainment of this wisdom, that he had to be taught again like a new beginner in the very midst of his course. Yea, although he had now been long accustomed to mourn over his sins, he was every day anew reduced to this exercise, which teaches us, how long it is ere men recover themselves when once they have fallen; and also how slow they are to obey until God, from time to time, redouble their stripes, and increase them from day to day. Should any one ask concerning David, whether he had become callous under the stripes which he well knew were inflicted on him by the hand of God, the context furnishes the answer; namely, that he was kept down and fettered by perplexing griefs, and distracted with lingering torments, until he was well subdued and made meek, which is the first sign of seeking a remedy. And this again teaches us, that it is not without cause that the chastisements by which God seems to deal cruelly with us are repeated, and his hand made heavy against us, until our fierce pride, which we know to be un-tameable, unless subdued with the heaviest stripes, is humbled.

John Calvin – Commentary on the Psalms