Who Is A Child of God?

Posted on July 26, 2026 by Wayne Davies

I’ve been reading the book of 1 John this week. This letter has much to say about who is a Christian and who is not.

Or, as John puts it, “who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil” (1 John 3:10).

Do you want to know whether your faith is genuine? I recommend spending time in 1 John.

In 1 John 4:7-21, John presents one sign or evidence of being a child of God. He answers these questions: “Who has been born of God? (v. 7) “Who knows God?” (v. 8) “Who abides in God?” (v. 13, 15, 16).

The Answer: The person who loves other believers. Or, the person who obeys the command to “love one another” (v. 7, 11, 12).

This is not rocket science or brain surgery. This is the simple and clear teaching of God about what it means to be a true believer in Christ: A real Christian is involved in a local church, and he loves his brothers and sisters in that church.

He or she has relationships with other believers that are characterized by mutual edification. This involves giving and receiving, caring and supporting, trusting and being trusted, encouraging and being encouraged, praying and crying, loving and being loved.

So, if you’re a Christian, you have these kinds of people in your life – God’s people. And you spend quality time with them, regularly and often – which brings you much joy.

Jesus did. And so should we.

“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister (Mary) and Lazarus.” (John 11:5)

“Jesus loved his own who were in the world, and he loved them to the end” (John 13:1)

I pray that you are plugged into a local body of believers, a group of God-loving, Christ-exalting people with pastors and teachers, elders and deacons, people who know and love Jesus and spend time together in His Word, who worship the Lord on the Lord’s day and baptize new believers and remember the Lord’s death until He comes again.

There is no better place to be on earth than to be with the people of God.

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Spurgeon on God’s Healing

Posted on July 19, 2026 by Wayne Davies

Psalm 147:3 contains one of the most comforting descriptions of God in the Bible:

“He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.”

The healing work of God is mentioned repeatedly in the Psalms. I recommend reading these passages and meditating on the wonder of God’s healing power:
Psalm 6:1-5; Psalm 30:1-3; Psalm 41:1-4; Psalm 103:1-5; Psalm 107:17-22.

From these verses, what do the psalmists mean when they pray for and write about God’s healing?

Charles Spurgeon offers these comments on Psalm 147:3, which I find most helpful in answering the above question:

“The kings of the earth think to be great through their loftiness; but Jehovah becomes really so by his condescension. Behold, the Most High has to do with the sick and the sorry, with the wretched and the wounded! He walks the hospitals as the good Physician! His deep sympathy with mourners is a special mark of his goodness.

“Few will associate with the despondent, but Jehovah chooses their company, and abides with them till he has healed them by his comforts. He deigns to handle and heal broken hearts: he himself lays on the ointment of grace, and the soft bandages of love, and thus binds up the bleeding wounds of those convinced of sin. This is compassion like a God. Well may those praise him to whom he has acted so gracious a part.

“The Lord is always healing and binding: this is no new work to him, he has done it of old; and it is not a thing of the past of which he is now weary, for he is still healing and still binding, as the original hath it. Come, broken hearts, come to the Physician who never fails to heal: uncover your wounds to him who so tenderly binds them up!”
Source: Treasury of David

Has God healed your heart from the disease of sin? Take time today to offer up a prayer of praise and thanks to him for this.

“Be gracious to me, for I am languishing;
Heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled.
My soul also is greatly troubled.”
Psalm 6:2-3

“Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
and heals all your diseases”
Psalm 103:2-3

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A Short Bible Study on Jesus

Posted on July 12, 2026 by Wayne Davies

Psalm 146 begins and ends with the familiar and much-needed refrain, “Praise the LORD!”

And in verses 8-10, we find seven reasons to give God the praise and adoration He deserves.

8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
The Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the sojourners;
He upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.

I like this insight from David Guzik: “We instantly connect this list with the work of Jesus the Messiah.”

  • Jesus opened the eyes of the blind (Matthew 9:27-29).
  • Jesus lifted up those who are bowed down (Luke 13:11-13).
  • Jesus loved the righteous (Matthew 13:43, 25:46).
  • Jesus watched over the sojourners (Matthew 8:5-10).
  • Jesus upheld the widow and the fatherless (Luke 7:12-15).
  • Jesus brought to ruin the way of the wicked (Matthew 21:12).
  • Jesus is King of Kings, and He will reign forever and ever (Revelation 11:15, 17:14)

“The logical conclusion is that Jesus is Yahweh, the LORD.”
Source: https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/psalm-146/

While Psalm 146 is not usually identified as a predictive messianic passage, could these verses be another example of what Jesus pointed out in Luke 24:44?

“Everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

Charles Spurgeon saw the work of Christ in this psalm:

Regarding verse 7, he wrote,
“Jesus is the Emancipator – spiritually, providentially, and nationally.”

Regarding verse 8, he wrote,
“Jesus did this frequently, and hereby proved himself to be Jehovah.”

Regarding verse 9, he wrote,
“This also Jesus did literally, thus doing the work unique to God.”
Source: The Treasury of David

Truly, we have a great Savior and Lord, and His praise should be on our lips every day, rain or shine.

Has Jesus opened the eyes of your heart?

Has Jesus lifted you up,
and loved you,
and watched over you,
and upheld you?

Does Jesus live in you and reign over you?

If so, why not spend time praising Him for that today?

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A Simple Way to Read the Bible

Posted on July 6, 2026 by Wayne Davies

Here’s a simple way to read the Bible that you may have never thought of:
Scripture “writing.”

You pick a passage and copy it onto a sheet of paper. That’s it.

How simple is that?

Just to clarify – this method is often called Scripture “writing.” And writing means copying. It does not mean you are writing anything new. God already did that. He wrote the Book. And a simple way to read it is to copy it.

But maybe you want to know more about this method. Maybe you’re like me — when I first heard about it, I wondered whether this is really a good idea.

So, for more info on this method of writing (and therefore reading) Scripture, here’s a great resource:

Ready to Try Scripture Writing?
by Rebekah Matt
https://greatandnobletasks.com/2021/12/20/ready-to-try-scripture-writing/

Rebekah begins with this statement:

“Since 2018, I’ve been reading the Bible daily without fail, and I can give credit to one simple thing that has made this change possible. Scripture writing has utterly transformed my spiritual life (no exaggeration), my mornings, and my Bible time.”

In this blog post, three women (Rebekah and two of her friends) share their experiences with Scripture writing by answering these questions:

Why did you begin Scripture writing?

How did you begin and how do you do it now?

What method do you use?

This post also has links to other articles on the topic, such as:

“Getting the Most Out of Scripture Writing”
(an update of the above post, with more tips and info)

“A Gift for Your Scripture Writing”
(a free downloadable Scripture writing tracker)

“Letting Go of Bible Reading Expectations”
(many practical Bible reading tips here)

And yes, I’ve been doing Scripture writing for the past few months, and it has become a good habit that I find hard to break.

I learned about this method from a good friend who does it regularly. After he’s finished, he photographs his notebook and posts it to a Facebook group called “7-Day Scripture Writing Challenge.”
https://www.facebook.com/groups/201593511177942/

There are over 7,000 people in this Facebook group. So if you’re looking for other people who practice Scripture writing, you don’t have to go far to find them.

Why should you try Scripture writing? Because when you’re writing Scripture, you’re reading it.

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A Man, A Dog, A Bone, and the Bible

Posted on June 28, 2026 by Wayne Davies

Once upon a time . . .

There was a man, a dog, and a bone.

The man was training his dog to be obedient, to learn the meaning of the word “no.”

So the man would take a bone, or a doggie treat, and he put the treat in the middle of the floor next to the dog, look the dog right in the eye, and say “no.”

 

The first time, the dog saw the doggie treat, didn’t even think twice about it, grabbed the treat, and ate it in one gulp. The master came over and gave his dog a loving smack.

Then the master got out another treat and did the same thing.  He put the treat in the middle of the floor, next to the dog, and once again said “no.”

The dog did the same thing – saw the treat, went right for it, and swallowed it down, resulting in another loving smack.

So the master does it a third time – takes out a treat, puts it in the middle of the floor, and says “no.”  This time, the dog doesn’t take the treat.  Instead, you know what the dog does?  The dog never looks at the treat.  While his master was putting the treat on the floor, the dog never for a moment took his eyes off his master. The dog knew that if he looked at that treat, he would never be able to resist the temptation, so he maintained a steadfast gaze into the eyes of his master. And this time, the dog did not go for the treat.

*************

Temptation is something we all have to deal with.

What temptation have you been facing lately? What is your bone?  What is your doggie treat?

Maybe it’s alcohol. Or nicotine. Or chocolate.

Maybe it’s pornography. Or adultery. Or the lust that resides in our hearts.

Maybe it’s anger. Or resentment. Or bitterness. Or jealousy. Or discontentment.

We all have something.  1 Corinthians 10:13:  “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man” (1 Corinthians 10:13). What temptation seizes or overtakes you?

More importantly, what are you doing about it?  What are you doing to resist temptation?  How are you doing in your battle against sin?

The purpose of this post is to share the good news that there is hope in the struggle against sin’s grip on us. Regardless of the temptation you are struggling with, the Bible offers hope:  The Word of God promises victory in the battle against temptation, and the key to that victory is found in the story about A Man, A Dog, and A Bone.

When did the dog stop going for the bone?  When he started looking into the eyes of his master.

The Bible teaches us that the only way to experience victory over temptation is a steadfast gaze into the face of our Master, the God-Man, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.”
Hebrews 12:1-2

Yes, sin can “cling so closely” to us, can’t it? What do we do to lay it aside and get rid of it?

We look to Jesus!

But what does that mean?

Other translations help unpack the meaning of the word “look” –

“fixing our eyes on Jesus” (NIV)
“keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus (NET)
“looking only at Jesus” (NASB)

How do you resist temptation by looking only at Jesus?

What do you do to keep your eyes fixed on Him?

Let me know by leaving a comment below.

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The Purpose of Hearing the Word

Posted on June 21, 2026 by Wayne Davies

I’ve been reading the book of James.

Here’s a passage to read and meditate on often:
James 1:22-25 (NASB)

22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who has looked intently at the perfect law, the law of freedom, and has continued in it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an active doer, this person will be blessed in what he does.

I like how the ESV summarizes these verses:
“Hearing and Doing the Word.”

James’ point is obvious: we are to be hearers and doers of the Word. Hearing alone is not enough. It’s a classic case of both/and. A true believer in Jesus must be both.

Having said that, it’s good to remind ourselves that we are to be hearers!

What is a “hearer” who is also a “doer”?

A hearer-doer is a person “who has looked intently at the perfect law” (v. 25). The phrase “looked intently” is one Greek word (parakupto), and it means “to bend over and carefully examine something from the clearest possible vantage point. It is the verb used by Luke to describe Peter’s looking into the empty tomb after Jesus’ resurrection (Luke 24:12).

“The person who looks intently at God’s Word, the perfect law, the law of liberty, examines it to discover its deepest and most complete meaning. For him, it is not a mere exercise of curiosity, as with the forgetful person just mentioned. When he discovers a truth, he abides by it, understanding that this is the purpose for the Lord’s revealing it to men. God did not reveal His Word simply to be learned, but to be obeyed and applied.” (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary – James).

In other words, the purpose of hearing the Word is to live it out. We want to know the Word so we can obey the Word. And we want to obey the Word because we love Jesus.

Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). And again, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me” (John 14:21). He also said, “If anyone loves Me, he will follow My word . . . He who does not love Me does not keep my words” (John 14:23-24).

In James 1:25, note that the Word is referred to as “the law of liberty.” The Bible is the only instruction that provides the power we need to live in freedom from the bondage of sin. Jesus made this clear in John 8:32 – “you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

We cannot do the Word if we don’t hear it. Indeed, we cannot even believe the Word if we don’t hear it, because “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17).

Hearing only is not enough, but hearing and doing are essential and indispensable practices of the Christian life. Oh how I need God’s help to hear, trust, and obey Him. I can’t do His will on my own; that’s a recipe for spiritual disaster.

Meditating on the necessity of hearing and doing causes me to cry out to God . . .

“O God, I need your power to be a hearer and a doer of your Word. Please enable me to engage wholeheartedly in both hearing and doing – from the heart – because I love you and want to please you, and because I want to be like your Son. May my motive for listening and obeying be your praise and glory, so that you get the credit for transforming me into the image of Christ, “from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18). May all your people experience the freedom that only you can provide, by the power of your Spirit and your Word.”

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A Psalm about The God Who Loves and Saves

Posted on June 14, 2026 by Wayne Davies

I’ve been working on Volume 4 of my series, “Psalms Bible Study Guides” — How to Pray Like David: A Bible Study on Psalms 107-150.

The following is an excerpt. Lord willing, it will be published later this year.

 

A Psalm about The God Who Loves and Saves — Psalm 107

“The Bible is a book about God.”

So wrote Jen Wilkin in her book, Women of the Word.

The profound truth of that sentence has been embedded in my brain since the day I first read it. It is my favorite way to answer the question, “What is the Bible all about?”

God is certainly center stage in Psalm 107. More specifically, the unnamed psalmist wants us to thank God often for his attribute of love and his action of salvation.

Please read the psalm and note how often the psalmist mentions God’s love and salvation:
God’s love: verses 1, 8, 15, 21, 31, 43
God’s salvation: verses 2, 6, 13, 19, 28

Another favorite quote of mine is “Repetition is a great teacher.” We see that here, don’t we?

The words “save” or “salvation” do not actually appear in this psalm, but two synonyms of “save” are used: redeem (v. 2) and deliver (v. 6, 13, 19, 28).

In Scripture, God’s attributes and actions are inseparable and therefore appear together often. The character of God is demonstrated through the conduct of God.

The psalmist begins by saying that “the LORD… is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” (v. 1). Then he says, “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands” (v. 2-3).

God’s goodness and love (two magnificent attributes) are demonstrated through God’s redemption of his people from exile (one amazing action). The opening three verses set the stage for the main section of the psalm (v. 4-32), the centerpiece of this hymn. Here we find four easily identifiable sub-sections — based on the four paragraphs of the ESV or NIV:

Story #1 – v. 4-9
Story #2 – v. 10-16
Story #3 – v. 17-22
Story #4 – v. 23-32

If you are fond of alliteration, these paragraphs could be entitled: “4 Stories of Salvation,” or “4 Pictures of Peril,” or “4 Tales of Trouble.”

Q1. Read through verses 4-32 and record your thoughts on each of the four stories by answering these questions:

a. In your own words, describe the perilous situation. What kind of trouble are God’s people experiencing?

b. What is the cause of their trouble? (Story #1 may not reveal the cause, but Stories #2, 3, and 4 certainly do.)

c. How does God show his love for his people? Specifically, what does he do for them?

Q2. All four stories focus on God’s provision of physical, temporal salvation for his people. As you reflect on your own life, how has God delivered you from one or more of these physical perils? Write out a brief description of a troublesome time and what God did to save you. Examples could be: an illness, a financial setback, a death in the family, an accident, a job loss, etc.

Q3. When answering Question 1, you may have noticed that Story #2 and Story #3 include clear references to the sin of God’s people, as well as God’s response to that sin, as the cause of the trouble. Can you recall times of trouble that you brought on yourself because of your sin? What did God teach you through that situation? Did you confess your sin and repent?

Q4. In each of the four salvation stories, we see this repeated verse:
“Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble” (v. 6, 13, 19, 28). In your own life, what does it look like when you “cry out to the LORD in your trouble”? For example, do you tend to do this by yourself, with other believers, or both?

Q5. In Story #3, we read that God “sent out his word and healed them” (v. 20). As you reflect on your own salvation stories, what impact did the Word of God have in God’s provision of your deliverance? What specific passages of Scripture did God use to facilitate his salvation? Take time to read them now and offer praise to God for these precious words!

Q6. As you meditate on God’s physical salvation, please note the psalmist’s repeated exhortations to offer thanksgiving to God for both his attribute of love and his action of salvation (see verses 8, 15, 21, and 31). Maybe you have done that many times already. Or maybe not. Either way, please take time now to express your gratitude to God in writing. Use your pen or keyboard to pour out your heart to him. Tell him how thankful you are for his goodness, love, and “wondrous works to the children of men.”

Q7. Verse 32 encourages us to “extol him (God) in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.” Why not set a goal to express your thankfulness to other believers this week, either in a formal or informal setting, whether in a worship service, a small group, or a one-on-one conversation? You are more likely to accomplish this goal by writing it down right now and asking God to empower you to “extol him” in the presence of others.

Posted in Attributes of God, Thoughts on the Psalms | Leave a comment

What Your Pastor Is Doing Today

Posted on June 7, 2026 by Wayne Davies

Do you ever wonder what your pastor does every day?

You may see him on Sunday morning, in the pulpit, preaching a sermon.

What about the rest of the week? What does he do?

Here’s one man’s take on that.

The following is a letter written by a 61-year old father, an itinerant evangelist who spent thousands of hours in hundreds of churches, to his 34-year old son, a college professor, who is considering a call to become the pastor of a church:

“Now I want you to remember a few things about the pastorate.

“Being a pastor today involves more than merely preaching and teaching.

“You will be the comforter of the fatherless and the widow. You will counsel constantly with those whose hearts are broken. You will have to handle a divorce problem and a thousand marital details, divorces, and situations.

“You will have to exhort and advise young people involved in sordid and illicit sex, with drugs and violence. You will have to visit the hospitals, the shut-ins, the elderly. A mountain of problems will be laid on your shoulders and at your doorstep.

“And then there is the heartache of ministering to a weak, carnal, and worldly apathetic group of professing Christians, very few of whom will be found trustworthy and dependable.

“Then there will be a hundred administrative responsibilities as a pastor. You are the generator and sometimes the janitor. The church will look to you for guidance in building programs, in church growth, in youth activities, in outreach, and in extra services.

“You will be called upon to arbitrate all kinds of problems.

“At times, you will feel the weight of the world on your shoulders. Many pastors have broken under the strain.

“If the Lord has called you, these things will not deter you or dismay you, but I wanted you to know the whole picture.

“As in all our Lord’s work, there will be a thousand compensations.

“You will see the people trust Christ as Savior and Lord. You will see these people grow in the knowledge of Christ in His Word. You will witness saints enabled by your preaching to face all manner of tests. You will see God at work in human lives.

“And there is no joy comparable to this.

“Just ask yourself, son, if you are prepared, not only to preach and teach, but also to weep over men’s souls, to care for the sick and dying, and to bear the burdens carried today by the saints of God.”

Source: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=3816317742010359

That’s what your pastor is doing today and tomorrow and the next day.

How can you help? Pray for him, as often as you can.

Posted in Famous Christians, Quotes, Sermons | Leave a comment

Why Would a Good God Make a Bad Place Like Hell?

Posted on May 31, 2026 by Wayne Davies

Have you ever heard this question . . .

“Why would a good God make a bad place like hell?”

It’s a common question. Perhaps you have asked it.

And perhaps you are still asking this question because you have yet to hear a good answer – an answer that is reasonable and biblical.

Here’s one that I read recently. It’s written by Greg Koukl of Stand to Reason.

“The simple answer to the question of why a good God would make a bad place like Hell is that it’s precisely because God is good that he made Hell. Further, Hell isn’t a bad place. It’s a good place.

“I realize that sounds counterintuitive, but it’s true.

“No good government allows guilty criminals to roam free. It locks them up in prison. Incarceration doesn’t just isolate felons, though, preventing them from harming law-abiding citizens. It also punishes them for the wrongs they’ve committed. Any government that didn’t sentence outlaws wouldn’t be good because it wouldn’t be just.

“In the same way, God would not be good if he simply let evil people go free. When people are punished in God’s court, they get exactly what they deserve. The books of death are opened for all to see. (See Revelation 20:12-13. I call them “the books of death” because they’re contrasted with the book of life, a record of all the redeemed.) Every wrong anyone has ever committed is recorded there.

“At that great white throne judgment, God dispenses perfect justice – punishment for everything a person has ever done wrong, and God misses nothing. Those whose names are written in the book of life, though, do not get punished since Jesus has taken their punishment for them. They receive perfect mercy – forgiveness for everything they’ve ever done wrong, and God misses nothing. Either Jesus pays, or we pay. That’s the calculus.

“Hell, then, is a good place in the same way that prisons are good. It may not be subjectively good – it’s no fun going there – but it is objectively good because a good purpose is accomplished there: justice.”
Source: https://www.str.org/w/rapid-fire-part-1

I believe that you just read one of the most compelling yet concise explanations of the reasonableness of hell. I like that it’s based on the character of our holy God – the One who is both gracious and just. A gospel without the justice and wrath of God is a truncated and distorted gospel. May God help us to present the gospel in its entirety, as Greg Koukl has done above.

What do you think of Mr. Koukl’s explanation of why hell exists? Let me know by leaving a comment below.

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3 Habits That Will Change How You Read the Bible

Posted on May 26, 2026 by Wayne Davies

I keep finding well-written articles about how to spend quality time with God in His Word.

A few weeks ago, it was this one:
How to Get in the Routine of Regular Bible Study

Here’s another one:
3 Spiritual Habits That Will Change How You Read the Bible

It’s written by Joe Carter, senior writer for The Gospel Coalition and associate pastor at McLean Bible Church in Arlington, Virginia.

He writes wonderfully and begins by answering the question, “What are spiritual habits?”

Then he explains three distinct habits that enable you to engage Scripture:

1-Breadth: Hearing the Whole Story
2-Depth: Reading the Same Book Again and Again
3-Internalization: Getting God’s Word into Your Heart

Any one of these three habits will enhance your understanding of Scripture and your love for the God who wrote it.

I commend these free resources to you today.

Let me know how you benefit from them by leaving a comment below.

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