The Bible App 1 Chronicles 29:10-13 (NIV) CONTEXT: For this final week in our year long study of the exalt and give strength to all. 13  Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. 2026 Unfading Truth Season Preview Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Thank God that He is sovereign over your 'kingdom' and pray that you will be a good steward of it in 2026 ; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: 2026 Unfading Truth Season Preview

BiblePic.com Genesis 9:1–6 ( LSB ) CONTEXT: Noah and his family and all the animals have just exited And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. 2 Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity For more on this, see our post on this passage from 2023 as we studied the Heidelberg Catechism .   Today: 1 Timothy 4

(Matthew 7:21-23) If reading these warnings cause you to worry, that's actually a good sign. them and return to Him; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 2 to Him; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 2 Corinthians 1

The Bible doesn't tell us much about angels, but it tells us all we need to know. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 124 Q. What does the third request mean? A. “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” means, Help us and all people to reject our own wills and to obey your will without any back talk. Your will alone is good. Help us one and all to carry out the work we are called to, as willingly and faithfully as the angels in heaven. Summary Chances are your idea of what an angel is has been shaped more by culture than by the Bible. This is not only because so many books, movies and TV shows have stereotyped angels in certain ways, but also because when it comes down to it, although the Bible certainly affirms the existence of angels & demons, it doesn't really tell us much about who they are or what they do. The final stanza of Psalm 103 gives us some insight. All of our major English translations render these words slightly differently, so it's good to look at them all to get a full picture: Angels are: Mighty ones (NIV, ESV) / Mighty heroes (LEB) / Powerful warriors (NET) / Ones who excel in strength (KJV) Do the LORD's bidding & obey His word (NIV) / Do the LORD's word, obeying the voice of His word (ESV) / Do His word by obeying the sound of His word (LEB) / Carry out His decrees and obey His orders (NET) / Do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word (KJV) Are servants (NIV, NET) / ministers (ESV, KJV) / attendants (LEB) who do the LORD's will. The author of Hebrews indicates the mission of the angelic host is to serve those who inherit salvation. That's us! What a blessing & honor to know God's entire angel army exist to serve & minister to us! Finally, Peter informs us that the angels long to look at the beauty of our salvation in Christ. Dig Deeper When you pray the words "your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven," you're asking God to equip you to carry out His work just as "willingly and faithfully as the angels in heaven." That might seem intimidating, since you don't have the same supernatural powers that the angels have. But notice that the catechism isn't calling you to do the same thing the angels do, rather it's calling you to have the same willing and faithful attitude that they have. The idea continues to persist that when we die, we get a promotion of sorts and become angels. This isn't what the Bible teaches. Even if this was the case, it wouldn't be a promotion, since you in a sense already outrank the angels. They weren't created in God's image as you have been. They were created to serve you, not vice versa! So be content with the talents and abilities you've been blessed with, but be sure to model the eager desire to "hearken unto the the voice of the LORD's word," just as the angels revealed in scripture do. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who is praised by angels, the heavenly host, and all of His works; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for the angels who serve on your behalf (though we rarely know how they do so), and pray that you'll model their eager attitude to carry out God's will; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Revelation 7

Samuel has anointed David king, but Saul is still on the throne. 1 Samuel 17 (NIV) 17 Now the Philistines faith in a king like all the other nations to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles (1 Sa. 8:20). Saul was no slouch - he stood a head taller than all the people (1 Sa. 9:2 & 10:23).

Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 1 Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death? A.

Heartlight.org 1 Thessalonians 5:23–24 (NIV) 23   May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24  The Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity

Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). As the story turns to 1 Samuel, the spiritual darkness remains: the priesthood is corrupt, and the people dedicated by his loving mother to serve the LORD under the high priest Eli, whose own sons were wicked. 1 In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions. 2  One night Eli, whose eyes

Separating from the world isn't popular, but God has always commanded it for good reason. 2 Corinthians [Lev 26:12; Jer 32:38; Eze 37:27; Rev 21:3] 17  Therefore, “Come out from them and [Ex 4:22; 2 Sa 7:14; 1 Ch 17:13; Isa 43:6] Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith Paul admits this would be impossible in 1 Corinthians 5:9-10. Today: 1 Timothy 2

Ascension Day usually doesn't get the fanfare of Christmas or Easter, but it should! Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 46 Q. What do you mean by saying, “He ascended to heaven”? A. That Christ, while his disciples watched, was lifted up from the earth to heaven and will be there for our good until he comes again to judge the living and the dead Summary The book of Acts is really a continuation of Luke's gospel, which is an investigative report Luke wrote for Theophilus. Since that Greek name literally means 'One who loves God,' it's hard to know if Theophilus was a real man or if Luke uses a pen name to reference all who love God and want to learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ. In any event, whereas Luke's first account covered Jesus' life, death and resurrection, this second report, inspired by the Holy Spirit, picks up at one of the most triumphant moments in history. Jesus is alive and reunited with His disciples (Luke notes in v3 that he gave 'many convincing proofs that he was alive'), and the disciples are likely eager to see Jesus establish the Kingdom of God. Sure enough, Jesus gathers them around and gives them instructions, but they're not what the disciples were expecting. Stay and wait, Jesus told them. Wait for how long, the disciples cried out. When, Jesus? When will you restore the kingdom to Israel? If ever Jesus displayed patience, it was here. After everything He had taught them, especially the last week of His life; after everything He demonstrated in His death, with the darkness for three hours in the afternoon and the torn curtain in the temple; after astounding all who saw Him alive after He was most certainly dead; after all that and more the disciples still think Jesus had done all of that just to make things the way they used to be in the good 'ol days when King David was on the throne. Don't worry about what, when and where, Jesus told them. You just witness to what you've seen and heard. And with that, almost anticlimactically, He was taken up and gone; hidden by a cloud. But Luke's new book is about the beginning of the Church, not the end of the gospel. Just as they did when Jesus was born, albeit it a bit less gloriously, angels come down to fill in the details. Stop staring into the sky, they told the stunned disciples. Just as you Jesus just was lifted up into heaven, He's going to come back. Dig Deeper As Reformed Christians, we don't pay as much attention to the Christian calendar the way our Anglican and Lutheran brothers and sisters do, although we gladly participate in Christmas festivities, as well as having a somber holy week service leading up to a joyous Resurrection Day celebration. But most Christians aren't even aware of a third observance that is nearly just as theologically important as what Jesus' birth and resurrection were: Ascension Day. As we continue our year long tour of the reasons for our only comfort, we'll spend this week understanding how amazing it is that at this very moment, there's a human body sitting at God's right hand, working out all things for God's covenant people. Ascension Day is coming on May 18. If your own congregation isn't able to have a special worship service to celebrate that, be sure to join up for the night with one that does! AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who welcomed His triumphant Son, the God-Man, back into heaven to sit at His right hand; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask God to empower you with the Holy Spirit to witness to all you've seen and heard regarding Jesus Christ. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Matthew 18