Merry Christmas! Here's a morbid reminder that will bring you comfort! Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 127 Q. What does the sixth request mean? A. “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” means, By ourselves we are too weak to hold our own even for a moment. And our sworn enemies— the devil, the world, and our own flesh— never stop attacking us. And so, Lord, uphold us and make us strong with the strength of your Holy Spirit, so that we may not go down to defeat in this spiritual struggle, but may firmly resist our enemies until we finally win the complete victory. Summary A voice tells the prophet to "cry out," and when Isaiah asks what he is to proclaim, he's told to announce what ought to be obvious: that life is fleeting. What's here today is gone tomorrow. Just like the grass and flowers of the field radiate beauty for a moment, before quickly disintegrating to nothing, so it is with our lives. The same breath of the Lord that gave us life also blows it away. This proclamation that ought to be obvious ends up hitting most people like a ton of bricks. If you're reading this, it means you've done a pretty good job at surviving. Somehow you've figured out how to make it to another day, and by using the skills and talents you've developed over the years, it's quite likely that you'll be able to survive tomorrow and into the foreseeable future as well. This feeling of self-sufficiency numbs us to the transient reality of life, that the day will come in which, just like last year's landscaping, we'll wither and fall away. While it's good to be reminded of our mortality, that's not the reason the prophet is instructed to make this proclamation. All people know they're going to die at some point; they don't need a prophet to inform them of that. Dig Deeper It's likely that you have faith that when that day of death comes for you, the Lord will be there to carry you through it to Him. This is where you depend upon Him the most, since the self sufficiency that's carried you to this point won't be of much help you then. This is our only comfort after all, that our souls belong to our faithful Savior in death! But this is exactly the reminder that the prophet was sent to bring: that you must depend upon God just as much in the here and now, to know that He's our only comfort in both life and in death, both body and soul. You need continual reminders that everything else around you will fade away, but that it's the Lord's "power" and "mighty arm" that "tends His flock like a shepherd and carries them close to His heart (v10-11). This is what you're praying for when you pray that God will lead you not into temptation: that instead of depending upon fleeting self sufficiency, you'll be firmly rooted in the forever eduring Word of God. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, whose Word endures forever; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that God will lead you away from the temptation of self-sufficiency; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Revelation 18

Where can you find peace while wandering through a spiritual desert? Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 29 Q. Why is the Son of God called “Jesus,” meaning “Savior”? A. Because he saves us from our sins. Salvation cannot be found in anyone else; it is futile to look for any salvation elsewhere. Summary Near the end of the movie Thor: Ragnarok, Thor’s brother Loki is freed by a group of escaped slaves and expresses to them, “You do seem to be in desperate need of leadership”. Surprisingly enough, the newly escaped group followed Loki’s lead. Leadership is something that we desire. To see this in the world today, look no further than how countries are organized; typically there is an official head of the government known as the president, prime minister, or by some other title. The Old Testament book of 1 Samuel accounts how the Israelites wanted a king and asked the Prophet Samuel to appoint one over them. And in today’s passage we see this desire for leadership in the Israelites at Mt. Sinai. Moses had gone up the mountain to speak with God. After a delay in his return, the people began to worry. Without any confirmation that anything had happened to Moses, they began looking for new sources of leadership. It would be one thing if they were looking for a replacement for Moses, but the reality was far more troubling. At the behest of the people, Aaron fashioned a golden calf; an idol which the people declared as “your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” Dig Deeper The errors of the Israelites at Mt. Sinai are plentiful. Believing that Moses may have perished on the mountain, they look towards not someone, but something to lead them. They were not looking to replace Moses so much as they were seeking out a replacement for God. Despite God having saved the Israelites from Pharaoh's army, feeding them manna when they needed food, and leading the Israelites through the wilderness as a pillar of smoke by day and fire by night; it is astounding how quickly they started searching for gods to lead them in the absence of Moses, who had acted as mediator between God and the Israelites. Where do you turn when God feels distant? A prolonged period of time where God feels distant is often referred to as a 'spiritual desert.' While many believers have experienced this at one time or another, experiencing a spiritual desert can be a sad and lonely place to be. When God feels distant, the actions of the Israelites at Mt. Sinai stand as a great example of what NOT to do. Having lost their connection with God via Moses’ absence, the people tried to seek out a replacement. The problem with this approach is that there is no replacement for God. While God may feel distant at times, this does not last forever. Remain faithful during the struggle. Spend time praying and reading scripture, even if it feels like a struggle to do so. Instead of seeking something to replace God, it will be far more rewarding spending that time in pursuit of God. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Holy Father, unchanging and omnipresent, even when we can't see Him; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that God will keep you from wandering away, even as you experience spiritual drought. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Hebrews 8

1 Corinthians 12:1–6 (NIV) 1 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 

What matters is to whom you belong. If you have given your life to Jesus, you are a child of God.

This is expressed in the Shema, which comes from Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, (Deuteronomy 6:4) ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you would fully trust in Christ as your

warn you of the massive danger of unrepentant sin (although it does), rather Paul's point here is no matter

Your body is not your own, but has been bought with a price. This is good news! Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 109 (We'll finish out QA 108 tomorrow) Q. Does God, in this commandment, forbid only such scandalous sins as adultery? A. We are temples of the Holy Spirit, body and soul, and God wants both to be kept clean and holy. That is why he forbids everything which incites unchastity, whether it be actions, looks, talk, thoughts, or desires. Summary We understand that a thing's purpose determines how it gets used. A fine flower vase with lots intricate details can certainly hold water, but it's not meant to be used like an ordinary bucket. In other words, just because something can be used a certain way, it doesn't mean that it ought to be used in that way. Such is the case with your body. The tired old argument that people ought to be able to do as they please with their bodies is nothing new; Paul begins this passage with sayings from Romans culture that make the same claim we hear so often today, that the only people who have a right to determine what I do physically are Me, Myself and I. Paul then drops a stunning claim - a claim that people know is true but which often gets suppressed down deep so as not to ruin the party: your body is not your own. You did not make your body; you did not breathe life into it; and you are not the one who has determined your body's ultimate purpose, and therefore you don't have the right to define its acceptable uses. Paul's makes his point obvious: "The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord (v13)." Therefore, your body is not to be used sexually outside of God's prescribed norms, which we'll review tomorrow. Paul adds emphasis to his point. Not only must you not do sexually immoral things, but you must flee from all forms of sexual immorality. The primary purpose of your body determines how it must be used, the purpose which rises above all of your own ideas, opinions and beliefs, is that your body "is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God." Dig Deeper Our focus reading the Bible this year has been the comfort and peace possible by knowing that "you are not your own, but belong to your faithful Savior, Jesus Christ." These words have brought immense solace and reassurance to countless Christians for hundreds of years now. If you don't have this memorized already, you should. But this claim is not just true on Sundays, or when you really need to be reminded in a difficult time that God is in control, rather this fundamental fact is always in effect and is completely comprehensive in its nature: you are not your own but belong to Christ body and soul, in life and in death. In other words, your body belongs to Christ in all ways and in all times. This famous opening line of the Heidelberg Catechism is not just a cheesy, sentimental statement to hang on your wall. It helps define and clarify your purpose in life. You belong to Christ in every way possible. And since purpose determines usage, it gives you a solid rationale for living according to a Biblically faithful sexual ethic. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who knew you before creation and chose you to be His own, knit your body together in your mother's womb, and who has set you apart to be a temple for His Holy Spirit; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask God for the fortitude to live according to His sexual design for your body in a world that constantly tries to tear you away from it; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 1 Peter 3

The message of the Bible is complex, but it's not complicated. Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 2 Q. What must you know to live and die in the joy of this comfort? A. Three things: first, how great my sin and misery are; second, how I am set free from all my sins and misery; third, how I am to thank God for such deliverance. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Summary The Bible certainly has implications for every facet of life, and over the millenia, tens of thousands of pages of deep and complicated theology have been written unpacking the rich truth contained in scripture. But the primary message of the Bible is elegant in its simplicity. You only need to know three things. Paul explains this to young Pastor Timothy in today's passage. First, know that God has saved you... not because of anything you have done, but because of his own purpose and grace (v9a). The fact that you need salvation in the first place presupposes that you have something that you need salvation from. This is why the Bible goes to such great lengths to show you 'how great [massive] your sin & misery are.' Second, having recognized your need for salvation, you can trust in Christ alone, who who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel (v10). Finally, knowing that you have been saved from your overwhelming sin problem must result in gratitude that changes the way you live. Not only did Jesus save you, but He called you to a holy life (v9a). Dig Deeper Notice the aggressive language Paul exhorts you with in this passage: fan into flame the gift of God (v6) Christians aren't timid, rather they're full of power, love & self discipline (v7) Don't be ashamed... suffer for the gospel by the power of God (v8) Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you (v14) As you begin a new year, pray that you will understand these three basic facts: that you'll come to recognize the depth of your sin (your Guilt), the magnitude of what Christ did to save you (Grace), and that in response you'll aggressively demonstrate your Gratitude by living a holy life. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father who by His power saved you and called you to a holy life (v9) ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Repent of your sin, thank God for His salvation through Christ, and ask for strength to live a holy life. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Mark 5

neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; 6  Today: Matthew 6

Are you going to follow the crowds, or follow Christ? Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 76 Q. What does it mean to eat the crucified body of Christ and to drink his poured-out blood? A. It means to accept with a believing heart the entire suffering and death of Christ and by believing to receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life. But it means more. Through the Holy Spirit, who lives both in Christ and in us, we are united more and more to Christ’s blessed body. And so, although he is in heaven and we are on earth, we are flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone. And we forever live on and are governed by one Spirit, as members of our body are by one soul. Summary Jesus broke every public relations rule there is. He had massive crowds, literally eating out of the palm of His hand, and ready to overthrow the government and install Him as their king. If you're trying to start a movement, this is as good as it gets. But Jesus wasn't trying to start a movement, or rally people to a better way of life, or even promote Himself. So He doesn't capitalize on His popularity or try to seize the moment. Instead He does quite the opposite. He drops a truth bomb so rich with meaning, yet so strange that it sounds disgustingly weird. You must eat my flesh, says Jesus, and drink my blood. Granted, He starts the conversation with something a bit more palatable, stating, "I am the bread of life (v51)." That's actually a great slogan that works on many levels. But Jesus quickly drills down: "This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." This doesn't sound too shocking to us because we're more or less familiar with the concept of communion, but it sure got the attention of the Jews 2,000 years ago. John records that they began to "argue sharply among themselves" about what Jesus just said. Jesus goes on, stating the basis for salvation: "The one who feeds on me will live because of me." That's just weird, and even kind of gross. The Jews thought so as well, so from that time on "many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him (v66)." The crowds of thousands would soon dwindle down to a handful of close friends and His mother as Jesus literally gave His flesh for your life. Dig Deeper Thankfully we're not called to literally eat flesh and drink blood. We know that the bread and wine we eat are signs and symbols of a spiritual reality. But don't be too quick to 'spiritualize' the communion experience. As you follow Christ's command to consume His body and blood, you are literally being "united more and more to Christ's blessed body (HC 76)." In other words, you are becoming less and less your own and belonging more and more to your faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. This is much more than a spiritual concept. Your whole whole life - body and soul - must be transformed. Every part of you must look different as a result of participating in the Lord's Supper. That means that the more united to Christ you become, the weirder you will look to the world around you. There's an increasing likelihood that they'll scoff at you as they did to Jesus and ultimately leave you behind as they turn to follow the next big thing that promises them a bit of bread. So always keep Jesus' promise in mind, that "whoever feeds on the living bread will live forever (v58)." Know that you're being strengthened for the task as you sit under the Word and respond to the invitation to the Lord's Table. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who sent Jesus, that we may feed on the Word; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the strength to continue feeding on Christ in an increasingly hostile world; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Luke 11