“Fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience” (1 Tim 1:18-19) ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU

Genesis 5:1-8 (NIV) 5 This is the written account of Adam’s family line. When God created mankind ( ʾā·ḏām ), he made them in the likeness of God. 2  He created them male and Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 2: The Spread of Corruption Human beings brought forth children  of the same nature as themselves Today: Colossians 2

creation in Christ; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 2

Don't let the comforts in this world distract you from the true Comforter. 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 It might seem odd in the midst of a week in which we've been focused on the person and work of the Holy Spirit to read from a passage that doesn't seem to mention the Holy Spirit at all. Paul here certainly makes reference to God the Father, as well as the Lord Jesus Christ, but he seems to just ignore the third member of the Trinity. Earlier this week we noted that the Holy Spirit is often referred to as the 'shy' member of the Trinity, since His role is to often focus our attention on the work of the Father and the Son, and in doing so the Spirit often stays in the background. So it's not all that surprising that the Spirit seems set to the side in this passage. But we also were reminded that the Holy Spirit really isn't all that shy, since He's the member of the Godhead we hear from the most, in that every word of the Bible was breathed out by Him. In fact, the verses we read today are all about the Spirit! We read one reference to the Father, three references to the Son, and at least six references to the Holy Spirit! The reason you didn't notice Him right away is because He's camouflaged: He was never directly referred to, but He was described with the repetitive use of the Greek word paraklēsis, the word Jesus often uses to refer to the Holy Spirit, which is translated here as comfort. The Holy Spirit is the "God of all comfort (v3)." Dig Deeper You probably think of 'comfortable' as being a condition in which you have no pain or discomfort. The chair you fall asleep in is comfortable, whereas the one that hurts your back is uncomfortable. One dictionary defines comfort as 'freedom from pain or constraint." So when hearing that the Bible refers to the Holy Spirit as the Comforter, you might be tempted to think He's not really present in your life because of how many uncomfortable aspects there are. A life filled with the Comforter ought to be filled with comfort, right? But keep in mind the literal meaning of the Greek word paraklēsis: the para part means alongside (like a parapro, paralegal, and paramedic work alongside a teacher, lawyer and doctor), and klēsis means to call out. So the Holy Spirit is the one who comes alongside you in "in all your troubles" and calls out to you words of "comfort and salvation." The reason people like us don't feel like we're experiencing the Holy Spirit as often as we'd like is because we're so distracted by the comforts we have in this world that we don't feel a need for "the God of all comfort." Make a habit of pushing those distractions away, so that that you can hear the Holy Spirit coming alongside you reminding you that your only comfort in life and in death is that you belong to your faithful Savior, Jesus Christ (keep reading v8-11 to see how the Holy Spirit brought this comfort to Paul when he "despaired of life itself"). AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort (v1) ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for the physical comforts He's given you, but pray that they don't distract you from the Holy Spirit coming alongside and calling out to you. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Romans 3

BibleHub.com Genesis 3:1–7 (NIV) 3   Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the 2  The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,  3  but God did say Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 1: The Effect of the Fall on Human Nature Human beings were originally created in the image Today: Philippians 2

Psalm 78:1–8 A maskil of Asaph. 1  My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. 2  I Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Articles 1- 5 Article

Romans 11:1-6 (NIV) CONTEXT: Paul is discussing why the Jewish people have rejected Christ at the end 21  ...concerning Israel Moses says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2  God did not reject Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Articles 1- 8 Article

John 3:1-8 (NIV) 3 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2  He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity

Genesis 1 (NIV) 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. 20 And the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. 24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their As we take a look at Genesis 1, we read throughout that at the end of each day, “God saw that it was

If that does describe you, cling to the truth in 1 Corinthians 12. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Matthew 24