ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Matthew 6

Everyone wants to enjoy long life, but few people truly know how. 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 What a perfect passage to begin a another year of reading through the Bible with! Moses spoke these words to Israel just as they were about to cross the Jordan river to posess the Promised Land. In these words, God speaking through Moses gives His people (both Israel and us) the key to enjoying long life: that you, your children, and their children "may fear the LORD your God... by keeping all of His decrees and commands (v2)." These promises of enjoying a long life in which things "go well" and in which "you may increase greatly" clearly are made in general terms. Normally, blessings will follow obedience, but not in every specific situation. Sometimes faithful saints will experience long periods of frustration or even early death, while other times those who have no fear for God will seem to prosper. What's really interesting about these words is that the key to enjoying the good life doesn't just involve blindly following commands, but rather the good life is rooted in theology. Truly successful people must fear God; that is, they must know both who and what God is, as well as how we as people relate to Him. Today we begin our year long study of theology with this basic truth that God's people have been reciting since they stood on the banks of the Jordan: Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Dig Deeper You may not be on the cusp of settling into a new land, but we are beginning a new year, so it's a good time to take stock and reset your course where needed. Notice here that as Moses prepares Israel to move in that he mentions nothing about the hard work or logistics that will be needed to feed and house all of the people. Certainly these things are important and necessary - in fact, if you keep reading this passage, God promises to provide these things (v10-12) - but housing and food production are not the top priorities. The priority God gives us, His people, is to first of all know Him (which is a lifelong endeavor). This priority is the one which must "be on your hearts." The second priority then is to teach this theology to the subsequent generations. How will your new year reflect these top priorities? This first, foundational theological lesson - that God is one - doesn't seem complicated or even profound, but understanding this is critical. Sin seeks a multiplicity of gods, all of which have the intent to derail you from these top priorities of knowing the true God and helping the coming generations to know Him. Sin wants to dominate all of your heart, soul and strength. The best way to stay focused is to do what you're doing right now - learning theology directly from God's Word as you study it throughout the week and hear it preached on the Lord's Day. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that as you end 2023 and begin 2024, that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

You're not just 'sort of' God's child, in Christ you've been fully adopted! Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 33 Q. Why is he called God’s “only begotten Son” when we also are God’s children? A. Because Christ alone is the eternal, natural Son of God. We, however, are adopted children of God— adopted by grace through Christ. Summary Yesterday, we looked at the divinity of Jesus. Since he is the eternal, natural Son of God, that is why we say he is God’s “only begotten Son” in the Apostles’ Creed. So where does that leave us, since we are also God’s children? In Ephesians 1, the Apostle Paul states that we are adopted through Jesus Christ. The Greek word for adoption to sonship is a legal term referring to the full legal standing of an adopted male heir in Roman culture. Adoption in ancient Roman times was different from how we practice adoption today in North America. The upper-class citizens of Rome would want a male heir to pass on their wealth, titles, and property to. If they didn't have a male heir, they would adopt one. Then when the boy would grow up, he would become their son in all respects, receiving the inheritance of his adoptive family. Dig Deeper When the Apostle Paul says that God predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, he is saying that we are children of God in every sense. We are not God, like Jesus is God, but we are God’s children through adoption. We get all the benefits of being a child of God. There is no formal legal process that we go through, like filling out adoption papers. Our adoption is through Jesus Christ. When we repent of our sin, and turn to Jesus for forgiveness, we become children of God. The benefits of being a child of God are amazing. First, we receive forgiveness of our sins. We are cleansed by the grace of God in Jesus Christ. Second, we are adopted into the Body of Christ, the Church. We become a part of the family of God. Third, the Holy Spirit is sent daily to renew and cleanse us. We are not left on our own, but have the Holy Spirit with us daily renewing our minds. Finally, we have the promise of the resurrection. When Jesus returns, we will be resurrected to eternal life with God. That is what it means to be a child of God. We get all those gifts from God through Jesus Christ. While Jesus is God’s only begotten Son, all who call on Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior become adopted children of God. We truly become children of God. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Lord, you my true Father, the giver of life and grace; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: May I trust in the power of Jesus Christ, and know that I am your child. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Galatians 5

How would you act differently if you knew a lion was seeking to devour you? 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 Peter's tremendous benediction begins with a call to humility, to literally put yourself under God's mighty hand. You're not to do this out of a sense of groveling, as if putting yourself down low will somehow enhance the chances of God giving you what you want, rather, it's as you yield your will to His that you will be lifted up when the time comes. Verse 7 is well worth memorizing: "cast all of your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you!" But these words of comfort are followed by a stark warning: a reminder that you live in the midst of a great spiritual war, and your enemy is on the hunt. Perhaps these words seem a bit over the top here, as if Peter's getting a little carried away with his rhetoric. But he's not; if anything, Peter is using quite restrained language here, compared to the vivid war scene John reports in Revelation 12. The last thing Peter wants to do in this passage is frighten you. Yes, the devil is prowling around seeking to devour you, but you can and must resist him. What Peter wants you to know here is that although this roaring lion can hurt you - even rip off an arm or leg, so to speak, if you stand still long enough - but ultimately all the beast can do is seek to devour you. The devil can not completely devour you because of what Peter teaches us in his first four chapters, and accentuates in today's final verse: you've been called by God to belong to Him, so you can be certain that the God of all grace will Himself fully restore you and complete the work He's begun in you. Dig Deeper Certainly we'd all be much more alert if we could actually see the devil prowling around us like a lion. The distractions the world throws at us wouldn't divert our attention one bit if we could see its sharp teeth and smell its acrid breath as the hellish creature roared at us. Just remember that even though the spiritual realm is beyond what we can sense, it is no less real than the physical things you can see, touch, hear, smell and taste. So take Peter's warning/blessing here seriously! You're given three instructions you must follow to keep the devil at bay: Humble yourself and cast your anxiety upon your Father, which we've already reviewed; Be alert and of sober mind: This lion rarely relies on brute force. His most effective strategy is to lull his prey to sleep with worldly distractions and anxieties. Keep your mind sharp (sober) by reading and thinking about God's Word every day. Let go of the distractions you can't avoid by casting the anxiety that results from them onto your Father! Resist him: Ultimately you are stronger than the lion! But certainly not in your own strength; you must stand firm in the faith! Remember that it is God who makes you strong, firm and steadfast in Christ. This is what you're praying for when you pray the simple line, "Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from the evil one." AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: The God of all grace, who lifts you up in His mighty hand; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask God for the strength to be humble and alert, so that you can stand firm in the faith and resist the devil; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Revelation 19

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