You can discover your Spiritual gifts today and immediately use them tomorrow. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 55 Q. What do you understand by “the communion of saints”? A. First, that believers one and all, as members of this community, share in Christ and in all his treasures and gifts. Second, that each member should consider it a duty to use these gifts readily and cheerfully for the service and enrichment of the other members. Summary Throughout his letters, Paul often uses the image of the body as an analogy for the Church. It's amazing just how many systems within your body need to be working well and in harmony with other internal systems in order for you to be healthy. So it is, Paul writes, with the Church. As Americans, we're a fiercely independent bunch, which in many realms of society is a good thing. We know that society as a whole does better when each individual looks out for his own interests rather than depending on more socialistic systems. But this passage commands us to shelve that individualistic attitude when it comes to the Church. In the Church, "each member belongs to all the others." This means that the particular gifts that the Holy Spirit has given you do not belong just to you. As we noted yesterday, these gifts you've been given come with strings attached. Not only are you obligated to utilize them to build up the church, but you must use them to benefit your fellow church members. The final two verses of today's passage form a comprehensive but not exhaustive catalog of gifts, as well as a repeated command to utilize what you've been given. Notice how the final few commands include an adverb to add emphasis that your gift sharing efforts must be more than mediocre. Give generously. Lead diligently. Show mercy cheerfully. Dig Deeper When we cleaned our truck repair shop out years ago before selling it, we found all sorts of things in the warehouse that we forgot we had. What made that especially painful was the realization that we had bought that same part several times over at tremendous cost when we had a dozen of them in storage. What a waste! As we've mentioned before, you can't use what you don't know you have. You've been given a gift that Christ not only expects you to use, but in a sense depends on you to use it to build His Church. Your fellow members are being shortchanged if you're not sharing your gift with them. And you can't do any of this if you don't know what your gifts are! What a waste! We have two resources available to help you identify your gifts and become the productive body part that God created you to be. One is a large catalog of different gifts, many of which you probably didn't even know were Spiritual gifts. That same page has a link to an assessment you can take online which will point out what kinds of gifts you likely have. Both resources can be found at wgtncrc.org/gifts. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who is in heaven. His name is holy. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for the gifts He's given you, and pray that you'll know what they are, how to use them and that you'll use them cheerfully! ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Romans 7

Being filled with the Spirit isn't just for super-Christians, it's for ordinary believers like you. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 53 Q. What do you believe concerning “the Holy Spirit”? A. First, he, as well as the Father and the Son, is eternal God. Second, he has been given to me personally, so that, by true faith, he makes me share in Christ and all his blessings, comforts me, and remains with me forever. Summary The ancient Romans had a far different attitude toward their children than what we do today. Children, like slaves, were considered household property. Even a boy destined to inherit a vast estate grew up in such a way that was no different from anyone else, although he likely was expected to meet higher standards by his tutors than the other children were. But the day would come when everything changed. When he came of age, this boy, outwardly no different than the rest, would suddenly become an important citizen, with all the privileges and responsibilities that came with it. Paul uses this example that would have been so familiar to the Galatians to illustrate the change in status that Christians go through. At the time set by your Father, you were pulled up out of the ranks of those enslaved "under the elemental spiritual forces of the world (v3)" and given "adoption to sonship (v5)." Don't get hung up on gender here, as the term 'sonship' is a legal term implying that everything the father has now belongs to the child. Here's where this is important to our discussion this week about the Holy Spirit. Because God adopted you to sonship, He didn't just give you the 'stuff' He has in His estate (which would be the entire universe); He gave you Himself, in the person of the Holy Spirit. Dig Deeper One of the most common misunderstandings many Christians have today is that only super-Christians are endowed with the Holy Spirit; people who have extraordinary gifts and skills enabling them to publicly praise God through talents - especially music - that the rest of us ordinary folks just don't have, as if plain and boring Spiritual gifts like stewardship, hospitality and service are somehow less Spiritual than more public and expressive gifts. The very first person mentioned in the Bible to be 'filled with the Spirit of God' is not who you might expect. It's not Noah, Abraham, Joseph or Moses who get described this way. It's a man you've likely never heard of: Bezalel, the son of Uri. He was chosen by God to lead construction of the Tabernacle. This ordinary tradesman is the first to be described as Spirit-filled (Exodus 31). The point here is that certainly patriarchs like Noah, Abraham, Joseph and Moses were filled with the Spirit, but so was Bezalel. And so are you. As we've reiterated so often this year, make every effort to experience the Spirit that God has put in you by learning, developing and sharing your Spiritual gifts. This is also the best way for you to experience your only comfort in life and in death, that you belong to Jesus Christ. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who redeemed us from slavery and made us Sons of God; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for putting His Spirit in you, and pray for the courage and determination to use the Spiritual gifts you've been given. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Romans 1

morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. 4   - The Power of Preaching 1 Cor 1.23-24 - God's Foolishness Psalm 93 - Mightier Than Chaos ​ Article 4: 1-8 - One and the Same Romans 4:9-17 - Chicken or Egg? Romans 4:18-25 - Faithfully Face the Facts Hebrews 11:39-40 - Promises Kept Psalm 33 - God's Control, Today: Hebrews 4

'Keep your head in all situations' and don't follow your 'itching ears.' 2 Timothy 4:1-5 (NIV) In the they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4  

Being excited about God is good... but make sure your zeal is based on knowledge! Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 19 Q. How do you come to know this? A. The holy gospel tells me. God himself began to reveal the gospel already in Paradise; later, he proclaimed it by the holy patriarchs and prophets, and portrayed it by the sacrifices and other ceremonies of the law; finally, he fulfilled it through his own dear Son. Summary With these words Paul expresses his desire that his fellow Jews would be saved. What Paul sees in many of his brethren is a zeal for keeping to the laws of the Old Testament, but a lack of understanding that adherence to the law does not equate righteousness. No matter how you might try, even your best efforts to establish your own righteousness cannot stand up to God’s perfect standard. It's still important for us to strive to live out the teachings of Jesus, as this is the appropriate response of gratitude to the grace of Jesus. Just as Paul’s concern for the Jews was not their zeal for upholding the law, the real concern is a mindset of upholding adherence to the law as a replacement for the righteousness of Christ. Attempts to be “good enough”, instead of depending upon the grace of Jesus, are nothing more than a flawed attempt to circumvent God’s plan of redemption. As Paul writes, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes”. Christ being the “end of the law” carries with it multiple, non-mutually exclusive meanings. First, this points to Jesus as the purpose or end goal the law was working towards. Secondly, Jesus marks for believers an end to our attempts to pursue righteousness via the law. Dig Deeper Every good story has a climax. If Belle had never gone looking for her father none of us would have heard about Beauty and the Beast. Without that action forward, the story would have remained at a standstill and never reached its exciting climax. While the Bible consists of 66 books written by various authors, it is also the ongoing story of God’s interaction with his creation. God’s handiwork can be seen throughout all of human history, culminating with the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is undoubtedly the climax of human history. There are many reasons to open up your Bible, and chief among them is that you might come to know your faithful savior Jesus Christ. Jesus is what pushes history forward. Without Jesus, the story of humanity would be a standstill as we would still be waiting for our redeemer. Praise God that he has saved you from your misery, that a redeemer has come, just as God had planned from the beginning. Trust not in yourself for righteousness, but in Jesus. As a dear saint would often remind me, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and HE will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Father, you set the standard for righteousness, and you sent your Son that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that God will give you a zeal for Him based on knowledge of His Word. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 14

When you die with faith in Christ, you will immediately be with Him in heaven. But not forever. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 57 Q. How does “the resurrection of the body” comfort you? A. Not only my soul will be taken immediately after this life to Christ its head, but even my very flesh, raised by the power of Christ, will be reunited with my soul and made like Christ’s glorious body. Summary Yesterday we were reminded of the tremendous faith of the criminal who hung on the cross beside Jesus, and the tremendous assurance that Jesus responded with, saying "Today, you will be with me in paradise." This is a beautiful comfort that we cling to in the loss of a loved one, that immediately upon taking their last breath they've gone to heaven to be with Jesus. But passages like today's help us understand that our stay in heaven will only be temporary, because there's something much better in store. When Christ returns, He will not return alone, rather "God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him (v14)." As the Lord himself comes down from heaven, He will command His archangel to sound the trumpet of God, and those who "have fallen asleep," which is a New Testament euphemism for having died in Christ, will "rise first." That is, their souls, which have been in heaven with Jesus, will be rejoined to their newly resurrected bodies. After that, Christians who are still living at the time, having witnessed this awesome second coming of Christ, will be "caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (v17)." It's at this point that the final judgment will take place, and the new heavens and new earth will be inaugurated. Dig Deeper This Biblical teaching is surprising to most Christians. While the Bible tells us everything we need to know about how to attain salvation by grace alone, in Christ alone, through faith alone, it tells us very little about what eternal life with Him will be like. We do know that it will be eternal, however, so it's quite easy for us to assume that when we die and go immediately to heaven as Jesus promised that we will be there with Him forever and ever. But that's not at all what you've been designed for. You were planned for and created with two distinct aspects: both a soul and a body. This is one of the things that makes you unique and different from any other embodied creature. So many other religions have looked at this dichotomy and concluded that true peace is not possible until a person has completely freed his soul from the physical prison of this world. Thus anything that's physical is bad, and anything that's spiritual is good. But since God created you with both a spiritual and physical aspect, it only makes sense that true perfection can not be fully attained until both parts are once again joined. Certainly heaven will be wonderful, and we can find true peace knowing that our loved ones who trusted in Christ are enjoying it, having been freed from sin, sickness and suffering. But they, like you, are waiting for something even better. This is confusing and hard to understand for sure, but as it says in v18, these words are given to you for encouragement. Christ is coming to make all things new again: both your body and a new earth for you to live on with Him forever. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father God, who will bring Jesus back, along with all who have fallen asleep in Him. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask that God will encourage you with these words so that you can live optimistically in a very pessimistic world. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Romans 11

God knows you remember what you see, so He sets out visible reminders for His people. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 79 Q. Why then does Christ call the bread his body and the cup his blood, or the new covenant in his blood? (Paul uses the words, a participation in Christ’s body and blood.) A. Christ has good reason for these words. He wants to teach us that as bread and wine nourish our temporal life, so too his crucified body and poured-out blood truly nourish our souls for eternal life. But more important, he wants to assure us, by this visible sign and pledge, that we, through the Holy Spirit’s work, share in his true body and blood as surely as our mouths receive these holy signs in his remembrance, and that all of his suffering and obedience are as definitely ours as if we personally had suffered and paid for our sins. Summary God's people crossing the Jordan river is one of the most important stories in the Bible, representing the culmination of God saving His covenant people and returning them back to the promised land. The previous generation of Israelites had seen God part the Red Sea so they could escape Egypt on dry land, and now their sons and daughters crossed the Jordan River at flood stage on dry ground. As amazing as those miracles were, God knows how fickle people's memories are. Within days of crossing the Red Sea, Israel was once again doubting God's power to save them, having forgotten what they had seen with their own eyes. So God orders Joshua to pick up some souvenirs on the way. Twelve men, one representing each tribe, were to carry a large stone from the middle of the Jordan and then set them up where the Israelites spent their first night back at home. God wanted them to have a physical reminder of what He'd done for them. God not only commanded them to set a monument to remember, but He commands them what and why to remember. This isn't just for you, He instructed them, but it's a tool by which you must instruct your children by reminding them of how God saves His people. After all, there's always one consistent reason that God does what He does and provides what He provides: So that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God (v24). Dig Deeper Just about every communion table in every Protestant sanctuary has the same words of Jesus carved into it: This Do In Remembrance of Me. God knows that you need a physical reminder of what He's done for your salvation. He's invited you to His Table for an ongoing, tangible reminder that Christ did something much more powerful than splitting the sea or heaping up a flooding river: that His body was broken, and His blood poured out so that you could have complete remission of all of your sins. Make sure that you heed the next invitation so that you can be reminded and the next generation can know the hand of the Lord is powerful and always fear the Lord our God. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who saves His covenant people and meets them in their weakness; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for the reminder of His grace communion represents and that you'll eagerly anticipate the next meal; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Luke 17

Step out of the darkness and into His wonderful Light Genesis 1:3-4a (NIV) And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good... deities has even tried to make that claim, but our Father "calls into being things that were not (Romans 4:

ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Hebrews 1

ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Matthew 4