Christ came so that you might have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10).

Psalm 5:1–7 (NIV) For the director of music. For pipes. expectantly. 4 For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness; with you, evil people are not welcome. 5  who God is in this prayer: God hates all who do wrong, and with Him, evil people are not welcome (v4-5) (Also, for the record, David goes on in Psalm 5 to Align his life with God's will in a big way as well So technically Psalm 5 is a AAA prayer!)

In eight words, the Bible obliterates the world's wisdom. 1 Corinthians 1:27-30 (NIV) 27  But God

Image Credit: Ivan Bandura via Unsplash Leviticus 19:1–18 (NIV) 19 The L ORD said to Moses, 2   “Speak I am the L ORD  your God. 5   “ ‘When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the L ORD , sacrifice it I am the L ORD . 17  “ ‘Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart.

Summary In 1 Peter we see the apostle do something that he was never planning to do: write to gentiles

Exodus 32:1–20 (NIV) 32 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, Then they said, “These are your gods,  Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” 5  When Aaron saw this 16  The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. 17

Photo: Pascal van de Vendel, via Unsplash Joshua 1:6–9 CONTEXT: After a decades long exodus through the God is calling Joshua to lead, and reminding him what the keys to true prosperity and success are. 5   Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 14: God’s Use of Means in Today: Revelation 17

-23 - Great Is Thy Faithfulness John 3:16-18 - Simple Beauty 1 John 4:8-10 - This Is Love Psalm 103 - ​ Article 4: A Twofold Response to the Gospel John 1:9-13 - The TRUE Light John 3:31-36 - Wrath Removed John 6:37-40 - Tensegral Theology John 12:42-50 - Buffet Theology Psalm 16 - In God We Trust ​ Article 5: The Sources of Unbelief and of Faith James 1:13-18 - The Devil (didn't) Make You Do It Ecclesiastes 3-6 - Before the Foundation Deuteronomy 7:1-10 - Set Apart John 17:1-5 - Sovereign Submission John 17

As the story turns to 1 Samuel, the spiritual darkness remains: the priesthood is corrupt, and the people dedicated by his loving mother to serve the LORD under the high priest Eli, whose own sons were wicked. 1 Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5   And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

The Bible's absolute, authoritative truth is exactly what you need in this deceptive world. Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 3: The Written Word of God We confess that this Word of God was not sent nor delivered by the will of men, but that holy men of God spoke, being moved by the Holy Spirit, as Peter says. Afterwards our God— because of the special care he has for us and our salvation— commanded his servants, the prophets and apostles, to commit this revealed Word to writing. He himself wrote with his own finger the two tables of the law. Therefore we call such writings holy and divine Scriptures. Summary You've likely be told dozens, if not hundreds or even thousands of times that you need to read your Bible and stay rooted in scripture. It's not unfair to ask why, though. Why is it that reading a bunch of ancient words, written by men who lived in vastly different cultures with really weird customs, why should this be a central part of your daily routine? Paul tells you exactly why in this short passage. The primary purpose of Scripture is to "make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." Certainly God's self-revelation - both His book of creation, and the clearer and fuller revelation in His written Word - teach us all sorts of things about Him and how to best navigate this world He's created, but the primary purpose of it all is so that you might understand how it is you are saved through Christ alone. These words that are to be the mainstay of your life are not ordinary words. Millions of pages have been written over the course of history, some better than others. But the words of Scripture stand alone in that they are the very words of God, breathed out by the Holy Spirit through ordinary men comprised of vastly different cultures and personalities. Because its divine origin makes Scripture so much different than anything else ever written, it is the world's only source of authoritative, objective truth. Certainly God's Word brings you grace, mercy and peace, but it also uncomfortably prods you at times. It's designed to teach, rebuke and correct you. Most of us don't like experiencing rebuke and correction, or even being taught for that matter. But this "training in righteousness" is exactly what you need as the Spirit sanctifies you into the righteous person God has declared you to be. Dig Deeper We're entering a phase of history that will likely be far more hostile to Christianity than it's been for several generations. Although you and I probably won't be risking our lives to profess Christ like our brothers and sisters in some parts of the world, verse 13 accurately describes our society: "Evildoers and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived." Today's opening verse seems like something that applies to Christians in far off countries more so than it does to us, but as our society devloves, it will become much easier to personally understand that "everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (v12)." You need to prepare yourself to stand firm in the midst of this persecution. The key to doing so is "continuing in what you have learned and become convinced of..." Do this by staying rooted in the Holy Scriptures, which, like Timothy, many of us have known from infancy (v13-14). Understand that you must know scripture well not just so that you can survive in a world that's hostile to Christianity, but so that you can thrive in it! Let the Bible teach, rebuke, correct and train you so that "you may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (v17)." AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father in heaven, who breathed out the words of Scripture through His Holy Spirit; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the strength and resolve to "continue in what you have learned and become convinced of" in this increasingly hostile world; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Acts 4