James 2:10-11 (NIV) 10  For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty

You might be surprised to hear the real reason Christ appeared. 1 John 3:7-10 (ESV) 7  Little children sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10

Confession demolishes filthy sin and constructs a clean heart in its place. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 126 Q. What does the fifth request mean? A. “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” means, Because of Christ’s blood, do not hold against us, poor sinners that we are, any of the sins we do or the evil that constantly clings to us. Forgive us just as we are fully determined, as evidence of your grace in us, to forgive our neighbors Summary It's easy to think of the confession of your sin as a purely negative act, in that you're asking for your sins to be taken away, or negated. But our passage today helps us understand that confession involves two distinct aspects: the removal of sins for sure, but also the restoration of godly behavior. Earlier in Psalm 51, David asks for his sins to be washed away (v3), and his iniquity to be blotted out (v9). This necessary first step removes the filfth and decay brought about by the sins being confessed. In today's passage, there are three actions David asks God to perform within him: to create a pure heart, to renew a steadfast spirit, and to restore the joy of salvation. These requests are sandwiched around the key ingredient for the new life that David is asking for: the internal presence of the Holy Spirit. Think of the process of replacing delapidated buildings with new construction. The project isn't finished once the old buildings are mowed down and hauled away. In fact, that's often the quickest and easiest part of the project! Raising up the new buildings takes hard work, resources and time. This is how confession works: it's not just asking God to demolish your sins and haul them away (that's actually the easy part!), but confession also must involve inviting the Spirit to (once again) begin new construction in your life. Dig Deeper Too often people equate forgiveness and salvation as nothing more than a bunch of divine do-overs, as if whenever you mess up God's expectation for perfect righteousness in your life, you can simply confess your sins and God will give you another new blank slate so you can try again. Of course the big problem with this type of thinking, aside from the fact that it's completly contrary to scripture, is that it's totally hopeless. Even if you were given an infinite amout of do-overs, you would never meet the perfect standard God requires. David wrote Psalm 51 roughly 1,000 years before Jesus lived, so David had no way of understanding the theological details describing how Jesus would become the perfect righteousness we need in order to satisfy God's demand. But even so, David knew he didn't just need his sin demolished and taken away, he needed a pure heart and steadfast spirit built back up in the spot that sin had been, and he knew that he was completely reliant on the Holy Spirit to construct these things within him. So confess your sin often, just as Jesus commands us in the Lord's Prayer. But in doing so, don't just ask for another hopeless do-over. Instead, pray that Holy Spirit will fill the void left by the blotted out sin with the pure heart and steadfast spirit you need. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father; who restores to us the joy of His salvation; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray your sins will be taken away and that the Holy Spirit will create, renew, restore and grant you a pure heart. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Revelation 16

Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 107 Q.

God knows the plans He has for you: that His name will be hallowed in your life. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 122 Q. What does the first request mean? A. “Hallowed be your name” means, Help us to really know you, to bless, worship, and praise you for all your works and for all that shines forth from them: your almighty power, wisdom, kindness, justice, mercy, and truth. And it means, Help us to direct all our living— what we think, say, and do— so that your name will never be blasphemed because of us but always honored and praised. Summary Chances are you have Jeremiah 29:11 inscribed on something in your house, whether it's a piece of art or decorative item on display. So many Christian graduation cards have the words "For I know the plans I have for you... plans to prosper you [give you shalom] and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Unfortunately these are some of the most misinterpreted words in the Bible, as if God has made this promise to each and every individual who happens to read these words. Then when things go poorly for someone, skepticism sets in because it seems like God is filching on the promise He made not to bring harm. What is easily missed is that the word 'you' is plural. If our cousins from down south would have translated this, it would read "For I know the plans I have for y'all..." It's not that God's promise here in this passage is unreliable or fickle - quite the opposite! Rather, God is making a very generalized statement regarding the future of His covenant people as a whole, saying that when the appointed time comes, He will "gather y'all from the nations... and bring y'all back to the place from which I carried y'all into exile (v14)." These words spoken long ago to the exiled people of Israel do apply to you as well. It may very well be that God has plans to prosper you by giving you hope and a good future. Most of us can testify to God prospering us - bringing us shalom - in our lives, especially as we give thanks at this time of the year. But it may also be that God's plans for you include sickness, suffering and even death. Even so, the Word He brought through Jeremiah still holds true: He will gather you, His covenant child, and bring you out of exile and back into His presence. Dig Deeper Praying the words "hallowed by your name" fit into both the acknowledgement and the alignment categories of prayer. You're certainly reminding yourself that God is holy; that is, He's separate from creation and above all things, and that He's perfectly complete and righteous. But every time you sincerely pray these words you're also fulfilling this promise He made to His covenant people thousands of years ago as they began their exile: that the day would come when the people He rescued would "seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart (v13)." That's exactly what it means to pray that God's name be hallowed in your life: that as one who has been set free by Christ, you will seek Him with all of your heart. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: The LORD, who plans to bring full shalom to His covenant people; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray God's name will be hallowed in your life as you seek Him with all of your heart; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 2 Peter 1

It's Friday, but don't grow weary of doing good! Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 111 Q. What does God require of you in this commandment? A. That I do whatever I can for my neighbor’s good, that I treat others as I would like them to treat me, and that I work faithfully so that I may share with those in need. Summary In his letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul instructs and encourages new Christians who had converted from pagan beliefs to faith in Jesus Christ. The encouragement from today’s passage is to not grow weary in your willingness to do good for others. While your actions, no matter how good, cannot bring about self-justification; your good works reflect the love of God. As opportunities afford themselves to do good unto others, take them! And as you look for these opportunities, be mindful of ways that you can do good for other believers. When Paul wrote to the Galatians on doing good to others, he included that this is “especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Dig Deeper As believers we are called to bless everyone, both Christians and non-Christians, with our good works. These actions demonstrate your belonging to and devotion for Christ. In this regard, the words of the well-known hymn ring true: they will know we are Christians by our love. Our good works demonstrate that we belong to Jesus. This however does not mean that God’s people never tire or grow weary. There will absolutely be times in life where doing the right thing will feel tiresome. This is especially true in situations where what you know to be right does not lead to immediately noticeable benefits. Despite the ways the world works to discourage believers and may cause you to grow weary, we are called to persevere. As Paul reminds the Galatians, if you continue in faith, you too will reap the spiritual fruit which God promises. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who will not be mocked (v7) ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: You're likely reading this on a Friday, so pray that God gives you the strength to finish the week well, so that you will not grow weary of doing good; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - John 5

Deuteronomy 7:7-10 (NIV) 7 The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. 10 Make sure, by the profession of your mouth and the belief in your heart (Romans 10:9) that you are in

Summary Verses 9-10 are a great example of how simply the gospel can be presented, and they're well worth “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10

God takes worship seriously. Do you? Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 96 Q. What is God’s will for us in the second commandment? A. That we in no way make any image of God nor worship him in any other way than he has commanded in his Word. Summary Just as God gives the Law to the people in the book of Leviticus, He also gives them directions on worship practices. He informs the priests as to what they are to wear. He outlines various festivals that the people are to celebrate. He tells them to make burnt, grain, fellowship, sin, and guilt offerings. Not just anyone could make these offerings. Only the priests were to make these offerings on behalf of the people, and they are to be done in a very specific way - the way God had explicitly commanded. Aaron (Moses’ brother) and his sons were ordained as priests for the people of Israel. They had begun to lead the people of Israel in worship. Unfortunately, rather quickly after being ordained as priests, Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu make a critical error: they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD - meaning they had taken their coals from a different source than what God had commanded. As one commentator put it, Nadab and Abihu did not do something God had prohibited, they were punished because they had did not do exactly what God had commanded. God burned up Nadab and Abihu for offering unauthorized fire before him. At first glance, this seems like an incredibly harsh punishment. Nadab and Abihu were worshiping God after all, so why does it matter if they used fire incorrectly? It was not that they used it incorrectly, it is that they went against the command of the Lord. They were worshipping God in a way different from how He had commanded in His Word. Dig Deeper The Lord had given the people of Israel explicit instructions on worship practices. He had set the priests over them to lead them in worship. When God gave these commands to the people of Israel, He did so to shape them into His people. He had chosen them, and set them apart. As such, they were to live differently from those around them. They were to worship the Lord alone, and they were to worship Him exactly as He had instructed them. Nadab and Abihu were careless as worship leaders, offering unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to His command. As such, they were leading the people falsely in worship; they were leading people to worship God in a way that was contrary to His commands. Worship is about God. We worship God because He is holy, just, merciful, and so much more. When we worship the Lord, our worship practices must be based on His command, on how God wants to be worshiped. There is a general pattern that we follow to ensure we are worshiping God based on what we read in scripture: Approach, Word, Response. The Approach to God is the first part of the worship service where we come before the Lord with singing, prayer, and scripture reading. We lift the name of the Lord, as we come before our holy God. The Word is where we hear from God’s Word, the Bible. Not only is scripture read, but a sermon is given. This is the central part of our worship service because God is central to our lives. We want to hear from God, and be shaped by Him. The Lord’s Supper and baptism are a part of the Word portion of worship. We end with the Response. We have heard from God, and now we are responding to the Lord as we sing a doxology and leave the worship service to go serve the Lord faithfully. As the people of God, we do not add things to our worship hoping to please God, nor do we take things away to save on time. We worship God as He wants to be worshiped. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who is worthy of praise; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: May I worship you as you want to be worshiped, not doing what is pleasing in my sight, but is pleasing to yours; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 2 Corinthians 5

It does no good to think you're standing firm if your feet aren't on the solid rock. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 94 Q. What does the Lord require in the first commandment? A. That I, not wanting to endanger my very salvation, avoid and shun all idolatry, magic, superstitious rites, and prayer to saints or to other creatures. That I sincerely acknowledge the only true God, trust him alone, look to him for every good thing humbly and patiently, love him, fear him, and honor him with all my heart. In short, that I give up anything rather than go against his will in any way. Summary What a way to describe the people of Israel as they left their slavery and began their journey to the Promised Land: that as they did so, "they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ." But what follows is one of the scariest lines in the Bible. Even though these people were accompanied by Christ and in a sense were feeding off of Him, "with most of them God was not pleased." This first generation of Israelites had been marked as God's people as they passed through the Red Sea; Paul even uses the word 'baptism' to describe this. But their actions and attitudes told a much different story: indulging in revelry, sexual immorality, grumbling and more. It was for this idolatry that they paid a heavy price. Thousands of them - people who had been initiated into God's covenant - were killed at God's command by the Destroyer (v10). Dig Deeper We live in a world that prizes toleration, even by some in the Church. As long as people claim the name of Jesus, we're told, their other behaviors and beliefs shouldn't really matter. This tolerance-above-all attitude is completely inconsistent with the first commandment: You shall have no other gods before Me. Today's passage tells us to be warned by the example of these fallen Israelites. Let Paul's exhortation be seared into your mind: If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you do not fall! (v12) Some people like to pit Jesus against Paul, and sometimes even God the Father, as if Jesus is all about love and acceptance while the God of the Old Testament and Paul ruin everything with their rigid doctrines and rules. But it was Jesus Himself who said that not everyone who comes to Him saying 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus will tell some who claimed His name but would not bow their knee to God alone, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evil-doers!" (Matthew 7:21-23) If reading these warnings cause you to worry, that's actually a good sign. It's the Holy Spirit at work, pricking your conscience with God's Word so that you continue to cling to God through Christ in all things. Be reminded that "God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear (v13)." One of the 'ways out' that God provides so that you can endure temptation is to regularly remind and warn you about the serious consequences of breaking the first commandment. "Dear friends, flee from idolatry." Be sure that you do not put anything before God in your life. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who is faithful and just; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that God will convict you of your idolatries, so that you can repent of them and return to Him; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 2 Corinthians 1