did after their sin was to worry about their lack of clothing and how God would react (Genesis 3:6-9)

strength. 8  Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts. 9   ​ Article 4: A Twofold Response to the Gospel John 1:9-13 - The TRUE Light John 3:31-36 - Wrath Removed 4:1-8 - One and the Same Romans 4:9-17 - Chicken or Egg? Authority & Presence Article 9: Election Not Based on Foreseen Faith John 10:22-30 - Listen Up! 14 - Christmas in March Galatians 4:1-7 - From Slave to Son Isaiah 53:6 - Herd Mentality 1 Peter 2:9-

Daniel makes the emphasis of his prayer acknowledging who God is (v4, 7, 9, 12, 15) and making sure that

David's sin was much more than a tryst with a beautiful woman; it drove him into a conspiracy that led Just like in a cheesy romantic movie, the wayward protagonist eloquently apologizes to the woman he loves

all, Jesus met "the righteous requirement of the law" on our behalf and so "set us free from the law (Romans

Happy Thanksgiving! Pray for your city; when it has shalom, so will you! 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 In our era of instant communications, most of us have lost the sense of excitement that comes when a letter arrives, especially if we're starved for information and the letter will help us fill in the gaps. So imagine how excited the exiles in Babylon were to receive word from the homeland; and not just from anyone, this letter carried the Word of the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel! Certainly the letter would contain the good news that God had relented from His anger and bring His people back home again, or so the people hoped. But that's not at all what the letter said. Jeremiah, who penned the letter, did his duty as a messenger of God's Word. As preachers, we are not at liberty to tell congregations what we think, or what we hope people want to hear, rather we must convey exactly what God has said. Jeremiah does just that. While they don't hear the good news they wanted - that they'd be rescued - God's Word isn't necessarily bad news either. God tells His people to get comfortable, because they're going to be in Babylon for awhile. He orders them to settle down, build houses, plant gardens and raise families. Work to bring shalom (peace & prosperity) to the city that was now their home. God gives them two overarching commands: 1) Pray for their new city, which is what grabs our attention today, and 2) don't listen to the 'prophets' among them; these were the guys who presented God's will as being whatever the popular opinions of the day were. Dig Deeper When you pray "hallowed be thy name," you're praying that your own life will reflect God's holiness in every way: that what you "think, say and do" will honor and praise God's name. God's message to His exiled covenant children (that's us, by the way, not just those Israelites living in Babylon thousands of years ago) is to cast a wider net as you pray. Certainly pray that God's name will be hallowed in your own life, but also pray that God's name will be hallowed in your city (or town, or acreage, or wherever you call home until Christ returns you to your Homeland). Chances are, you have lots to be thankful for regarding the city in which you live. But keep praying that God's name will be praised and never blasphemed where you live, which will bring the true shalom that every city needs. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that your city will praise God's name in every way; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 2 Thessalonians 3

You have two choices: worship God in His holiness, or be separated from Him because of His holiness. 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 If you look at the context today's passage comes in, you'll immediately notice how dark and depressing Jeremiah's prophecy is. In the verse that comes right before today's passage, the LORD declares in His judgment that "dead bodies will lie like dung on the open field." These will not be the bodies of wicked pagans; God is speaking about His own covenant people here! Israel had become overconfident in their relationship with God. God had graciously committed Himself to them with His covenant promises, so they just assumed He was unconditionally obligated to protect and provide for them. They had neglected to learn God's Word, so their knowledge of Him had grown dim, they mixed in pagan ideas to their religious practice, and ended up concluding that their wisdom, strength and riches were of their own making, and not a gift from God. In short, they had no idea that God was holy; that is, separate and above all things. God is about to bring severe punishment on His own people by allowing the Babylonians to take them into exile. But even in handing down this terrible punishment that the people fully deserve, God still offers them grace. He reminds them that true wisdom, strength and riches come from knowing Him: knowing that He is the LORD, that He exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth. Sadly, Israel ignored Jeremiah. What will you do with him? Dig Deeper The Heidelberg Catechism presents a rich irony in this answer: that we only truly know God is when we confess that, in a sense, He's unknowable. This is what it means when we pray that our Father's name is hallowed - made holy - amongst us. Something that's holy is different, set apart, and consequently unknowable when applied to a divine being like God. This underscores our primary problem as fallen, sinful people. Even though we're image bearers of God, Hebrews 12:14 says that "without holiness, no one will see the Lord." So thank God for the gospel - that our Father does not remain unknowable! He reveals Himself through His Word, His Son, who is also fully God, became incarnate and provided you with the holiness you need to see the Lord, and now through the third member of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit, God lives within you! Acknowledging God's holiness when you pray will bring you comfort and peace in two big ways. First, you'll be reminded that God is over and above all of our earthly problems and concerns and that He has the power to control all things. Secondly, doing do reminds you that you would not even be able to speak to your Holy Father except for His grace and mercy provided through Christ which has made you holy as well. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that in God's name would be hallowed in the way you live; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 1 Thessalonians 5

Had we kept reading Hebrews 9 for just a bit longer, we would have been reminded that "the law requires

​ Article 4: A Twofold Response to the Gospel John 1:9-13 - The TRUE Light John 3:31-36 - Wrath Removed 9:15-21 - God's Mercy, Not Your Effort 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 - Love The Truth Psalm 81 - Call To Worship 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, Authority & Presence Article 9 - Election Not Based on Foreseen Faith Your election took place,  not

Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 99 Q.