Deuteronomy 30:1–6 CONTEXT: Moses is addressing Israel right before they enter into the Promised Land . 30 When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart

Luke 2:8–14 (NIV) 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their this many times throughout Scripture, but especially we see it at the birth of our Lord, in Luke 2:8-

You can't produce fruit if you're disconnected from Christ. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 64 Q. But doesn’t this teaching (that our works do not contribute to our salvation) make people indifferent and wicked? A. No. It is impossible for those grafted into Christ by true faith not to produce fruits of gratitude. Summary There are two words the Bible uses to describe how to live a fruitful life. The word used most often to describe successful Christians is the word Jesus uses in the example of a grape plant which bears fruit. This word has a passive feel to it. Jesus explains that as long as a branch remains connected to the vine, it will bear fruit. In other words, the fruit is going to come as long as the connection is maintained, just like a grape branch, when given the proper inputs, can't help but bear fruit. Sadly this isn't the case for every branch. Some grow off as long, wild shoots with lots of stem but no leaves or flowers. Others bury themselves under other branches, hidden from the sunlight. Still others seem to be in just the right condition, getting plenty of water, nutrients and sunlight, but for whatever reason nothing comes out of them. In each of these cases the unfruitful branches are cut of and thrown into the burn pile. In the second half of this passage, Jesus puts 'flesh' on this metaphor so to speak. He is the vine, and you and I are the branches. As long as we remain connected to Him - that is, as long as His Word and Spirit are flowing into our lives - He assures us that we will bear fruit. But some people are not content with this relationship, and shoot off on their own. Many bury themselves in the busyness of life, and although connected to the nutrients, do not absorb them. Apart from me, Jesus says, these people can do nothing, and their unfruitful lives will be cut off and thrown away. Dig Deeper Our instinct is to prefer the other word the Bible uses in regards to fruitfulness. We want to be people who produce fruit in our lives. Produce is a much more active word, and conjures up images of hard work, resourcefulness, and downright determination. Those are all good things, but most of the time the Bible uses the word produce, it does so in a negative way. Pharisees are quite often the people the Bible speaks of in connection with trying to produce fruit. They work super hard to impress their neighbors and appease their own consciences, but their reliance is totally on themselves, disconnected from the nutrients of the the true vine. The result is often like a Red Delicious apple: it looks really good and shiny on the outside, but not very appealing when the skin is peeled back. You've been created to be fruitful - to do and make things that reflect and glorify the image of God that you've been created in. Most of this world, separated from the vine by sin, is either desperately expending energy trying to produce fruit on their own, or they've given up trying and consequentially have very little meaning in their lives. So stay connected to the Vine - Jesus Christ. As you immerse yourself in the nutrients that flow from His Word, your life will naturally bear fruit. NOTE: The English Bible translations often use 'bear' and 'produce' interchangeably (even the Catechism uses the word produce). The contrast is much more noticeable in the Greek. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, the gardner, who cuts away unfruitful branches; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you remain connected to the vine so that your life bears the fruit it was designed for. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Philippians 2

. -- Deuteronomy 7:7-8 (NIV) 7  The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8  But it was because

It's easy to accept just the blessings you like, but that's not the way it works. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 20 Q. Are all saved through Christ just as all were lost through Adam? A. No. Only those are saved who by true faith are grafted into Christ and accept all his blessings. Summary In this text from Luke we hear Jesus requesting to go to the other side of the lake. The text says the other side, because that was the side of the Gentiles. That was the side that the Jews didn’t go. Standing on the shores of life we can either appreciate the waves that God brings as beautiful or breaking. Yet it is never the water that changes. This was certainly the case with the disciples in the gospel of Luke. They had been on the sea of Galilee all of their life. They knew this water. It had been their source of livelihood for generations. Yet, when Jesus requested to go to the other side, They knew they were going to the edge of their comfort zone... Because decent Jews didn’t go to the other side. The other side was the gentile side. It was unclean. It was uncouth. To go there was to invite judgment on yourself. At least that is what they had been told. And sure enough as they crossed out of familiar waters and got close to the other side, it seemed that God’s judgment was coming on them. As the waves began to rise and enter their boat these seasoned sailors thought they were going down. Stumbling to reach Jesus in the stern of the boat they woke him and said, “Master, Master, we are going to drown!" Jesus stood up, rebuked the wind and the raging waves and the storm subsided. Where is your faith? He asked his disciples. Jesus asks you this same question: Where is your faith? Is it in your blood from Adam that brought the curse of sin, or is it in the Son of God who brings you life? If your faith is in Christ then blessing will abound in your life; but some blessings will seem better than others. Dig Deeper In our teaching lesson from the Catechism we see the word all repeated three times. “Are all saved”, “are all lost” and “grafted into Christ we accept all his blessings.” We like to speak using all because we want to be inclusive. We want all to go to heaven, so we say... except maybe the most wicked tyrant or ungodly neighbor. So if we want to carve out some, it's not so difficult to see why God would want to select as well; to chose or carve out his chosen from the the unrepentant. It quickly becomes clear that it's not feasible to have all in heaven. What is the deciding factor then? It certainly can’t just be a particular people or language. It has to be something outside of who you are. As the Catechism says, salvation comes from being grafted into Christ, who reveals that you are chosen and who feeds you with his Word and Spirit so that you would accept and live in His blessings. Even when those blessings bring about unexpected struggle. What blessing from God do you struggle to accept the most? Silence? Reflection? Wealth? Often the blessing that you struggle the most to accept is the very blessing that God giving you the most often. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Triune God, who commands the winds and the water, and they obey Him. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Open my heart and hands by your Holy Spirit to accept your gifts, as the seashore accepts the waves. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 15

There are no good examples in the Bible of 'Lone Ranger' believers. 2 Chronicles 30:1-9 (NIV) CONTEXT unfaithful to the LORD, the God of their fathers, so that he made them an object of horror, as you see. 8   Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 28: The Obligations of Church Members

Matthew 11:25-30 (NIV) 20  Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 28: The Obligations of Church Members

God's law is simple, but step one in salvation is confessing you can't keep it. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 5 Q. Can you live up to all this (God's Law) perfectly? A. No. I have a natural tendency to hate God and my neighbor. Summary A sinful nature is part of the human condition, as part of our inheritance of original sin from the first human, Adam. To say that we are without sin is a falsehood. Jesus paid the penalty for our sin, has granted us forgiveness, and made us a new creation; yet we are not without sin. God enables spiritual growth in the life of the believer, however none of us will reach a point of complete righteousness in this life. It is part of our condition to continually battle our fallen nature. Those who deny their sinful nature do more than fool themselves. Not only would such a claim betray the truth, but it would also suggest a belief that you were not in need of the grace of Jesus. The truth is that we have all fallen short and are in desperate need for the grace of Christ. To claim otherwise is to disregard, or at minimum misunderstand, the Gospel. Dig Deeper While Jesus calls us to love our God and our neighbor, our natural tendency is to do the exact opposite. Respect, manners, and sharing are all things that are taught to children either in the home or at school. None of us teaches a child to be selfish, hit when angry, or throw a fit when you don’t get your way; yet these behaviors are still commonplace. These tendencies are ingrained in our very being. Part of living as a Child of God is battling our fallen nature. While the Holy Spirit does empower believers to do good; the faithful remain locked in combat with our fallen nature. This battle will continue to rage on until the end of the age when our sanctification is complete. As you acknowledge your natural state of sinfulness, lean on the Holy Spirit for the strength to do what you cannot do on your own, which is to love God and love others. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Father God, you are faithful and just to forgive my sins and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Help me to recognize and confess my own sin, and strengthen me with the Spirit to trust in the righteousness of my Savior. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Mark 10

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

In eight words, the Bible obliterates the world's wisdom. 1 Corinthians 1:27-30 (NIV) 27  But God things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29  so that no one may boast before him. 30 Verse 30 says "It is because of Him [God] that you are in Christ Jesus." this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are (v27-28