Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 38 Q. In Galatians 3, we read why the crucifixion was necessary. For Jesus to take the wrath of God, he had to be nailed to the cross, or as it is stated in Galatians 3: Dig Deeper Paul uses a word several times in Galatians 3 to describe the law: cursed. Yet, Galatians 3:13 says that “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us

The popularity of John 3:16 is unsurprising considering the way it eloquently lays out the key themes

The only constant is change, except when it comes to God. Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 1 We all believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths that there is a single and simple spiritual being, whom we call God— eternal, incomprehensible, invisible, unchangeable, infinite, almighty; completely wise, just, and good, and the overflowing source of all good. Summary You can feel the pain being expressed in Psalm 102. The writer is crushed in anguish and it seems like the end of his life is near as his days "vanish like smoke." Yet this person is doing exactly as one ought to do in such a situation - cry out to God for help. It's often been said that there are no atheists in foxholes, meaning that when push comes to shove, and people have no other hope, most people will pray to God, even if it's been decades since they last prayed. But it doesn't appear here that the author is throwing up a last minute prayer just in case there does happen to be a God that's listening. Although we don't know who wrote this psalm, it seems likely that the psalmist knew who he was praying to. This psalmist prays confidently and hopefully because he has a rock solid theology. He doesn't just have a 'relationship' with God, he knows who and what God is, what He's done, and why He can help in this situation. The final stanza make this clear: v25 - God laid the foundations of the earth and formed the heavens; v26 - Although the world will "wear out like a garment," God will "remain the same, and His years will never end." It's interesting how this Psalm ends with this praise of God, leaving the fate of the author unresolved. Did God answer this beautiful prayer, or did death prevail? One of the big points of Psalm 102 is that for those whose hope is grounded in God's unchangeable character, it really doesn't matter how various crises in our lives play out. Dig Deeper It's what we read in v26 that grabs our attention today: that God is immutable. This simply means that God will "remain the same, and His years will never end." This means that the descriptions of God we read in Psalm 102 are just as accurate today as they were thousands of years ago when first written. This means that the God who made covenant promises to Adam, Abraham, Moses, David and others is the same God that will listen to your prayer today. You're mutable - you change over time, and that's a good thing. You probably don't want to be the same person you were in high school. But the fact that God's unchangeable is one of the most comforting things you can know about Him. His always perfect love for you "remains the same, yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8)." AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our unchanging Father, who will not hide His face from your distress (v2); ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God that although everything else in this world constantly changes, that He always remains the same; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Mark 6

Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 3 Q.

The world keeps trying to drive a wedge between Jesus and the Church. Don't fall for it! Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 23 Q. What are these articles of the Christian faith? A. I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. Summary The letters that Paul wrote to Timothy and Titus are called the pastoral epistles, since Paul sent them to these two young pastors with instructions on how to build up and care for their local churches. This first letter to Timothy begins with instructions on how worship and how to identify men to lead the churches as elders and deacons. But it's in the verses we read today, which is almost at the exact center of the letter, that Paul lays the foundation for the Church: the Church is built upon a creed. A creed is a summary statement of the primary tenants of a particular belief system. There's a ton of theology packed into these two sentences: The Church is the household of God, and since the Church's main task is to proclaim God's Word, it is the "pillar and foundation of the truth." Jesus Christ is the source of all true godliness for those who are in Him; God became incarnate, and the God-Man was given the stamp of approval by the Holy Spirit; The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is meant for the entire world; Jesus has ascended to glory! This means that a Man is presently sitting at the right hand of God working out all things for His Church. Dig Deeper Most of us in this Bible reading plan are part of Reformed churches, and one of the distinctives of Reformed churches is a strong adherence to creeds and confessions. Confessions are slightly longer documents that summarize what we believe the Bible says about important topics. The Heidelberg Catechism, which we're also reading through this year, is an example of a confession. The Belgic Confession and the Canons of Dordt are the two other confessions Reformed churches subscribe to. Many Presbyterians subscribe to the Westminster Standards, while some Lutherans hold to the Formula of Concord. Confessions, for the most part, are products of the Protestant Reformation - tools used to articulate what the Bible actually teaches about core doctrines. Creeds are much older than confessions. Adherence to creeds like the Apostle's Creed often is the determining factor as to whether a particular church can properly call itself Christian or not. There have always been some, who look at all of the strife and division in the Church and trace it to these 'man made' creeds, and self righteously declare they have no creed but Christ, as if somehow their own personal interpretations of the Bible will be more pure than declarations that have passed centuries of examination. It's true that the Apostle's Creed was written by men. We don't considered it to be inspired or give it the same authority we give to scripture. But not only is every word and phrase of our creeds and confessions meticulously based in scripture, you can see from our passage today, which is just one of dozens of similar passages in the Bible, that's God's people have always expressed their core beliefs in the form of creeds (note the different formatting of v16 - Paul was likely quoting an early creedal hymn of the church). Praise God for those who came before us and wrote the creeds to keep the Church centered on God's inerrant, infallible Word of Truth. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: The Living God, who lives in His Church, the pillar and foundation of the truth. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will know and believe the core doctrines of Christianity well. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 19

If you're a Christian, you're a born-again Christian. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 70 Q. What does it mean to be washed with Christ’s blood and Spirit? A. To be washed with Christ’s blood means that God, by grace, has forgiven my sins because of Christ’s blood poured out for me in his sacrifice on the cross. To be washed with Christ’s Spirit means that the Holy Spirit has renewed me and set me apart to be a member of Christ so that more and more I become dead to sin and increasingly live a holy and blameless life. Summary Nicodemus was a Pharisee who had shown respect for Jesus because of the signs, also known as miracles, that Jesus had done. It was during this discussion that Jesus explained to Nicodemus how he needed to be born again. This rebirth was not a second physical birth, but a birth of water and spirit. Jesus makes this spiritual rebirth an absolute necessity, proclaiming that “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." Unless is a strong word, setting an absolute condition that must be met for one to enter the kingdom of God. This spiritual rebirth is not an optional addition to one’s faith, instead this rebirth has been set apart by Jesus as an essential part of following Him. Without this spiritual rebirth, one cannot enter God’s kingdom. Dig Deeper Regeneration is the theological term we use to describe this spiritual rebirth. Much like how Jesus’ physical body had died and was raised to new life on the third day, regeneration points to one’s spiritual death and new life in Christ. This is not an action you take as a believer, since regeneration is the work of the Holy Spirit. This regeneration, or rebirth, is more than a change of heart; it is an entrance into a new life. Where you were once spiritually dead in your trespasses and sins, you are now made alive. This spiritual rebirth is your entryway into a new life, one receptive and inclined towards God. Regeneration originates with God, it is not something we can initiate for ourselves or for others. While this lack of personal control may spark different feelings in various individuals, I feel an appropriate response to this regeneration is to turn to God in prayer. For those who have either a long held or newly formed faith in Christ, we pray out of gratitude for God’s work of regeneration in their lives. For those who do not yet have faith in Christ, we pray that God may work in their lives, planting a desire for Christ where there previously was none. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, the King, whose kingdom we long to enter into; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will recognize and live into the regeneration (rebirth) you've been given by the Holy Spirit signified and sealed in your baptism ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Luke 1

To fully enjoy the comfort & assurance of your fully accomplished salvation, you must make every effort! Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 1 Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death? A. That I am not my own, but belong— body and soul, in life and in death— to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven: in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Summary Maybe you've heard the trite little Christian saying that "Jesus + nothing = everything." Peter would have loved it! It nicely summarizes the opening statement of his second letter: Christ's power: has given us everything we need; through our knowledge of Him; since: He called us by His own glory and goodness and He has given us His promises. It's truths like this that provide you with the 'assurance of eternal life' that the Catechism mentions. Your certainty comes from the fact that Christ has fully accomplished your salvation, and there's nothing you need to add to it. Yet Peter prescribes more addition! In v5 he writes, make every effort to add... not to your salvation, because that's complete in Christ, but add to your faith. He repeats this command to make every effort again in v10, and this time he explains why: to confirm your calling and election. So certainly be assured of your salvation, but at the same time make every effort to live a godly life. The good works that result from these efforts will bolster the assurance and confidence you've already been given. Dig Deeper This famous first question and answer of the Catechism is like a warm blanket in a cold world, reminding you that your future is fully secured in Christ. But notice that even these words of comfort end with a call to action to 'wholeheartedly live for Him.' This is one of the great tensions of Christianity. Certainly rest in the thought that Christ is 'your only comfort in life and in death,' but in order to fully enjoy this rest you must continually make every effort to gratefully respond to the gift you've been given. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father who has set His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ over His eternal kingdom (v11); ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the strength to make every effort to live wholeheartedly for Christ. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Mark 4

ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Romans 3

In the beginning of chapter 3, Peter is understood to be speaking to the Christian women in these congregations AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: 1 Peter 3:12 - For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous

Psalm 36:9 Psalm 36 For the director of music. before their eyes. 2  In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin. 3   Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity But notice how Psalm 36 is weighted. Today: Colossians 1