1 Thessalonians 5:12-15 (NIV) 12  Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who

Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 126 Q.

Psalm 51:1–12 (NIV) 51 For the director of music. A psalm of David. steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12

Theology isn't just a trivial pursuit, it's the key to gaining the crown of life! 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 James is a favorite book for many Christians since it gives such good and practical advice that applies to everyday situations. But today's passage illustrates that even the most practical advice is rooted deeply in theology. James begins here by reminding you to keep your eye on the prize: "the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him (v12)." This crown will come to those who have "persevered under trial," and who've "stood the test." This perseverance is not just a matter of brute force or mental/spiritual toughness. It comes from a recognition of theological reality: knowing that the temptations enticing you do not come from God, rather that they're the product of your "own evil desire (v14)." Last week we were reminded of God's simplicity, in that God defines not just Himself, but the attributes that describe Him. He's not just good, rather He defines the very concept of goodness! James reinforces this doctrine, writing that "every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights (v17)." In other words, as our Confession puts it, "God is the overflowing source of all good." Every bit of goodness in this world - even the good things done by otherwise evil people - has its source in God our Father! Furthermore, you can count on what James wrote two millennia ago being just as true today because of another theological truth James reminds us of: our Father "does not change like the shifting shadows." Since God remains the same "yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8)," you can always count on God's overflowing goodness. Dig Deeper We sort of wandered away from the idea that James began this passage with, that you and I must "persevere under trial (v12)," but that's sort of what James intended! Since sin comes when you "are dragged away by your own evil desires," it makes sense that the more you focus on solid theology (knowing who and what God is), the less you'll be distracted by the enticing temptations of the world. Theology isn't just a trivial pursuit, it's the key to gaining the crown of life! This is James' point here: Every good and perfect gift originates with God, so by investing yourself fully in knowing Him, you're surrounding yourself with good things rather than enticing temptation. The best way for you to do this is by continually digging deeper into "the word of truth, that you might be a kind of firstfruits of all God created (v18)." AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, the giver of every good and perfect gift, who does not change; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for "choosing to give birth to you through the word of truth, and pray that you would pursue it, and not the enticing temptations of the world; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Mark 9

You can't fully understand God's wisdom, but He does expect you to imitate it. 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 King David, more so than any other person in history, had an awesome ability to communicate deeply profound theology with beautifully accessible poetry so that the rest of us could know God as well. In this familiar Psalm, David keys in on God's omniscience, that is, His knowledge of all things, and His omnipresence, which is God's unique ability to be in all places at all times. The volume of information that God knows is staggering as a whole; He understands the intricate complexities of the smallest microscopic organism to the forces holding galaxies together, as well as every detail of everything in between. Yet David doesn't approach God's omniscience on this transcendent scale. Instead, he showcases God's immanence - the intimate relationship and knowledge God has of each us. Not only does God know every detail of the universe, He knows the seemingly meaningless things about you: when you sit and rise, what you're thinking, where you'll go today, and even the very next word you'll speak. "Such knowledge," David appropriately concludes, "is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain." Not only does God know exactly where you'll go and what you'll do when you get there, but wherever 'there' is, you can be certain that God's will be present as well, whether that be the heavens, the depths, or the other side of the chaotic sea, "even there God's hand will guide you, His right hand will hold you fast." Dig Deeper These last few months I've gotten quite familiar with AI tools like ChatGPT. What an amazing thing, to be able to harness nearly every bit of recorded knowledge and report it on demand in seconds. Yet as impressive as it is, it's nowhere close to having the omniscient knowledge God has. For one thing, ChatGPT is often incorrect (what's scarier is that it's not just mistaken at times, it's confidently wrong). All it knows is what it's been told. It has no idea what will happen in the future, and no way of morally discerning right from wrong. Even though it can report millions of historical facts, it really doesn't know the individuals recorded in history. Not the way David describes God knowing us, at least. You may have noticed that our confession doesn't use words like omnisciecent or omnipresent, even though it communicates those ideas. Rather it simply says that God is "completely wise, [and] just." It's this wisdom that ChatGPT and the world in general miss out on. Here's how theologian John Frame puts it: God has not only knowledge but also wisdom. Wisdom is a heightened form of knowledge that understands the deep significance of something and its practical relevance (Pss. 104:24; 136:5; Rom. 11:33). Wisdom is knowledge in depth, knowledge going to work. Sometimes in Scripture wisdom can be translated “skill.” This is the wisdom that "searches you" and "hems you in" as it "guides you." This is the wisdom that, as one created in God's image, you must seek to reflect in the way you live. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who knows all things and is present in all places, overseeing all things in His perfect wisdom; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that your wisdom would reflect the one who created you; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Mark 8

conformed to the world's pattern of thinking, and instead be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2).

Today: Romans 12

Isaiah 53:4-12 (NIV) 4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12

Read / Listen Read James 5:12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by In James 5:12, James is restating this same teaching for the recipients of his letter.

You were created to worship. But don't trust your instinct as to how to worship. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 103 Q. What is God’s will for you in the fourth commandment? A. First, that the gospel ministry and education for it be maintained, and that, especially on the festive day of rest, I regularly attend the assembly of God’s people to learn what God’s Word teaches, to participate in the sacraments, to pray to God publicly, and to bring Christian offerings for the poor. Second, that every day of my life I rest from my evil ways, let the Lord work in me through his Spirit, and so begin already in this life the eternal Sabbath. Summary Any astute twelve year old Biblical scholar will quickly point out that nowhere in the ten commandments is weekly church attendance mandated for Christians. And they're right! It's not really 'commanded' anywhere in the Bible! It doesn't need to be. It's been said that man is incurably religious, a phrase I don't like because it makes religion seem like a disease, but which nonetheless accurately describes the innate drive seen in that people in all times and in all places have always worshipped something. So God didn't need to issue a command to attend religious gatherings at specific times in the week, because we do that instinctively (which is why so many people are so miserable in our exceptionally secularized society since they're suppressing a deeply embedded instinct to worship). What God needed to command, and command often, was that His people not worship like their pagan neighbors. Sin has twisted the innate desire to seek and worship God that we were created with and turned it into a driving desire to do as we see fit (v8). The Canaanites were wicked and evil, but they were quite religious. God had created them as well in His image, but that image was barely flickering, and their instinct to worship was no longer seeking God, but had become fixated on deifying nature (that is, making natural elements and processes into gods) and was highly sexualized in its expression. Do not worship the LORD your God in their way (v4). The first step necessary to properly fulfill your instinct to worship is to separate yourself from the world, as God commanded His people Israel. Dig Deeper Quoting a passage from Deuteronomy in order to demonstrate the need for Christians to gather for corporate worship on the Lord's Day may seem a bit anachronistic (out of place). After all, didn't Christ's sacrifice on the cross eliminate the need for all of the animal sacrifices mentioned in this passage? Didn't Jesus set us free from the law? The sacrifices we just read about were not sacrifices of atonement meant to symbolize payment for sin. God's people were to regularly gather to offer all sorts of sacrifices, tithes and offerings meant to show their thankfulness and to acknowledge God's claim upon their lives. This command has not been set aside by Christ's victory; in fact if anything, the need for you to demonstrate your gratitude and commitment to God has intensified! This is one of the primary reasons you are called to gather with the saints each Lord's Day. The Tabernacle worship God commanded for His people broadened out over time into weekly gatherings in local synagogues. The early Christians followed this model and established the weekly Lord's Day services that we continue to this day. While it is admittedly tough to cite a specific Biblical command for you to come to church this coming Lord's Day, it would be even tougher for you to page through the entire Bible and then formulate a good excuse for why you don't need to. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who calls us to gather our families to worship and rejoice with all of God's people on the Lord's Day; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the strength to fight temptation and fulfill your instinct to worship the Lord your God as He has commanded. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 2 Timothy 1