Wscal - Morning Devotions

Westminster Seminary California President Joel Kim delivers the spring 2020 President's Chapel

Westminster Seminary California Professor A. Craig Troxel gives a morning devotion from 1 Corinthians 13.

Westminster Seminary California Professor A. Craig Troxel gives a morning devotion from 1 Corinthians 13.

Westminster Seminary California President Joel Kim gives a morning devotion from Psalm 137.

Westminster Seminary California Professor A. Craig Troxel gives a morning devotion from 1 Corinthians 13.

Westminster Seminary California Professor A. Craig Troxel gives a morning devotion from 1 Corinthians 13.

Westminster Seminary California President Joel Kim gives a morning devotion from Psalm 3.

The psalmist sets forth the way of comprehensive, whole-hearted devotion to God’s law. And in light of his own sin and the evil of the world, he expresses a great uneasiness, mixed with an expectant faith in God for help.

Graduating senior, Ryan Thomas  gives a morning devotion from Hosea 5

Psalm 68 records the march of God across the desert from Sinai to Zion.  Probably composed for the installation of the ark of the covenant in the Jerusalem temple, this Psalm lies at the heart of Israel’s story—and ours as well.  

C.S. Lewis wrote that the first step to “acquire humility” is “to realize that one is proud. If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed.” Lewis is probably correct that pride shadows us more than we know. Thankfully the Word of God helps us to see how we can re-orient our lives, speech and motives more humbly. Moreover, the eternal Word become flesh helps us to see what humbling oneself looks like; especially when it is motivated by love.

Psalm 2 is an obvious Messianic Psalm and is referenced several times in the New Testament. We will look briefly at the Psalm and then in three interesting places where the New Testament shows its fulfillment.

When Paul says "Love does not envy" he is addressing the earnestness of our desire. A strong or intense desire is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, Scripture tells us to "earnestly desire" higher spiritual gifts among other things (1Cor 12.31). But if we desire or love something in the wrong way and to the wrong degree, then we have entered into the realm of envy. The darkness of envy will not rest until it has snuffed out its rival, even if that rival is the "light of the world." 

The Lord cares for us in the midst of the suffering we face in this life as Christians. So let us revel in his love and gratefully love him in return.

This series of chapel talks (based on 1Corinthians 13) is intended to answer the question, “What Is Love?” Few questions could be more important or more practical. Our “greatest” duty is to love God with all of our heart and to love our neighbor as ourselves. So, if we miss this, we have missed the most obvious thing of all. This first lesson looks at the two sides of love—in what it is determined to endure and what it is willing to give. Love is Passive and Active (1Cor 13.4)

How can God justify the ungodly like you and me?  Because of the Servant who remained faithful as He suffered and substituted for us.

It can be difficult to know how to pray for ourselves and others, but the Apostle Paul reminds us of three things we can pray that we all will increasingly know.

 In these verses we ascend the summit of John’s prologue. In it we hear echoes of God’s appearing on the mountain to Moses, who condescends once again, only now embodied in the Word. He comes in the fullness of his steadfast love and faithfulness for those who look to him out of the emptiness they feel within. And those that do will not be disappointed. 

The Lord bears up his frail saints in the righteousness of Christ to bring to His glorious Zion.