It is possible to open your Bibles and sing directly out of them, and I believe that is another true, good, and beautiful way of living out the principle of Sola Scriptura.

Jerusalem the Golden is a hymn, composed by Alexander Ewing in 1853. He took the words from an ancient Medieval hymn, written by Bernard of Cluny in the 1100s.

We, as reformed, confessional Christians, argue that the Word of God is a sufficient rule for all of faith and life, and that includes our music. Our Triune God has given us a hymnbook, smack dab in the middle of our Bibles, and its contents should make up the majority of our worship.

There are times in life when we are afforded a mere taste of something spectacular. Be it food, or adventure, love, or satisfaction. A moment of sheer enjoyment - complete gratification

It is always the yearning of children to please their fathers and for them to see and feel their father’s smile. And the greater the compassion of the father, the greater the passion of his child is for him.

This is not a new desire of the Psalmist. He is continually asking for the Lord to give him understanding (Psalm 119:27). This repeated request is not vain redundancy, or futile repetition.

Picture Ahithophel’s king, David, sleeping on his comfortable couch. He raises out of his slumber, stretches his arms, yawns, and shuffles his feet beneath himself, hoping to touch his elusive sandal with his ever-searching hallux.

if you have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, you have been given this will and this heart and this faith and you must avail yourself to them, lest you shrink back and your heart wander away

But see very clearly, beloved, the one who was put to shame on our behalf. Our Savior, Jesus Christ was lifted up upon an instrument of death, designed for criminals of the highest order.

When we read Paul, therefore, it is imperative to get into his head in order to understand rightly what he is trying to convey to the original audience and the reader in every age.

By these few words, the myth of neutrality is dispelled. Here, the psalmist is showing us a duty we have as Christians: we must continually choose the way of faithfulness.

And observe, the Psalmist doesn’t ask to be put near other Christians or to have false people removed from his sight, in order to be obedient. Instead, he recognizes that obeying the Lord is a matter of one's own heart, not one's circumstances.

He was losing his composition due to the heaviness of his heart and the afflictions he was facing. And here we see a man who has a great burden, one beyond his ability to bear. And this is indeed not a foreign feeling for some of us. The feelings of being helpless, stuck, defeated, or brought low and without the ability or opportunity to climb out of this hole of despair.

In the Old Covenant, we see the temple and tabernacle as the special dwelling place of God among his people. “As symbols or types, these institutions pointed to a future fulfillment. That fulfillment is found in Jesus Christ, the full and final manifestation of God’s presence with His people.”

We may lay down at the feet of God, as beloved children, all that is upon our hearts. He is not unable to bear it. And then, he guides his children on the proper pathway. We have, as our God, a compassionate Father, full of mercy.

And here, we see that the word of God is not impotent, but is very relevant in any and every human experience, even this very common one of sorrow and depression. 

It is not uncommon for those who are bold in heart and of face (Isaiah 50:7) for the Lord and his word to be plotted against by those around us. Because we are not greater than our Master, we can expect the type of treatment he received while on the earth (John 15:20).

Picture Ahithophel’s king, David, sleeping on his comfortable couch. He raises out of his slumber, stretches his arms, yawns, and shuffles his feet beneath himself, hoping to touch his elusive sandal with his ever-searching hallux.

Here we see the high places, among the princes and majesty of the world, in which the psalmist sat. He was the point of scorn among those in power, and among whom were considered his equals. Yet among these men, there was no desire more significant than to show derision and contempt toward him.