Your life is a reflection. The question is, what are you reflecting? Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 86 Q. We have been delivered from our misery by God’s grace alone through Christ and not because we have earned it: why then must we still do good? A. To be sure, Christ has redeemed us by his blood. But we do good because Christ by his Spirit is also renewing us to be like himself, so that in all our living we may show that we are thankful to God for all he has done for us, and so that he may be praised through us. And we do good so that we may be assured of our faith by its fruits, and so that by our godly living our neighbors may be won over to Christ. Summary In several places in the New Testament Jesus is proclaimed to be the light of the world. This proclamation is now extended from Jesus to his Church. Jesus is the light of the world, but so too are those who follow him. And as the light of the world, followers of Jesus are not to hide away but share their light. This is the nature of what light is, it is meant to be shared. To hide away light, such as that which radiates from a lamp, is to take away its purpose. Dig Deeper If you place a dog in front of a mirror something incredible may happen. Some dogs, upon seeing their own reflection, will believe they are staring at another dog and start barking or growling. Since the other dog is only a reflection, it doesn't back down and this standoff can continue for quite some time. Despite what it looks like, a reflection is not a dog, its image is only borrowed from the original. In the same way, the light that we share as followers of Jesus is not our own but is borrowed light that comes from Jesus. When we share this light through our good works, it is to be done in such a way that others will give glory to God our Father. The proclamation to share your light might be considered in contrast with Jesus’ critique of the Pharisees practice of making their good deeds seen by others. The difference between sharing your light and the showmanship of the Pharisees is intent. The purpose of sharing your light through good works is to bring glory to God. The intent of the Pharisees’ display of good deeds was not to honor God but to draw attention to themselves. Take some time today to consider whether you are letting the love of Christ shine through your actions. Have you chased the satisfaction that comes from others noticing your good works instead of seeking to glorify God through your actions? Have you stopped doing good works altogether? Remember that you are the light of the world and as a follower of Jesus you are to share his light through your good works. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who is in heaven; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that your life will reflect the light of Christ in you; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 1 Corinthians 6

Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 120 Q.

The first of these 5 key beliefs is sola scriptura which means 'scripture alone'.

All people will rise from the grave... the question is what will you rise to? Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 45 Q. How does Christ’s resurrection benefit us? A. First, by his resurrection he has overcome death, so that he might make us share in the righteousness he won for us by his death. Second, by his power we too are already now resurrected to a new life. Third, Christ’s resurrection is a guarantee of our glorious resurrection. Summary Be thankful for the Jewish establishment that constantly pestered Jesus. We're going to be reading about confrontations Jesus had with them both today and tomorrow. I imagine there was an element of anger and frustration in Jesus' voice as He responded to them, but yet it's these sort of impassioned explanations Jesus gives that form the basis for the doctrines that comfort us the most. In today's passage, Jesus is being hassled because the establishment has concluded that Jesus was breaking Sabbath law by healing people, and even worse, that He was making Himself equal to God by calling God His own Father (v18). In setting them straight, Jesus makes some stunning claims. Jesus here says that "all who are in their graves will hear God's voice and come out (v28-29)." According to Jesus Himself, all of the dead will hear the voice of God and will live (v25)! Eternal life is not just for Christians! But this isn't necessarily good news, for the first thing people will face after coming out from their graves will be a sorting, in which those who've done good will rise to life, while the evil doers will rise to be condemned (v29). Were it not for what Jesus had just said prior to this, even Christians would be tossed about by doubt, constantly wondering what they'll wake up too when God calls all people out of the grave. Will they way they lived be considered 'good enough' to pass God's sorting, or not? That's why you need to know v24 well: Whoever hears my voice and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged, but has crossed over from death to life. Dig Deeper You have a ton of things you're worried about today, ranging from a never ending to-do list to wondering if your relationship with so and so will ever be restored. Certainly all of these sorts of things are important, and you are not only welcomed, but invited to bring them to the Lord in prayer. But knowing what you've been reminded of in these words of Jesus today - that life is really short compared to the eternity you will face when you step out of the grave, and that most of the things you're worried about right now will soon pass away - will help keep you grounded and aligned with these truths that so many people are completely distracted from. If you hear Christ's voice and believe Him, know that not only are you guaranteed that you will be physically resurrected on that final day, and that you already have eternal life and will not be judged. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who raises all to eternal life and who has given Jesus the authority to judge; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will be reminded often that salvation is not just a future benefit, so that you will keep your heart and mind set on things above already now. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Matthew 15

'Keep your head in all situations' and don't follow your 'itching ears.' 2 Timothy 4:1-5 (NIV) In the itching ears want to hear. 4  They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 

Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 127 Q. is using quite restrained language here, compared to the vivid war scene John reports in Revelation 12

It's not until you realize what Christ gave up that you truly realize how amazing His grace is. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 24 Q. How are the three articles of the Apostle's Creed divided? A. Into three parts: God the Father and our creation; God the Son and our deliverance; God the Holy Spirit and our sanctification. Summary In demonstrating what it means to have the same mindset of Christ, this passage is one of the Bible's clearest christologies; meaning it's a fantastic resource to understand who and what Jesus, the second member of the Trinity, is: He's by nature God, but He then also assumed the nature of man. Having successfully completed His mission, God exalted Christ above all things. Paul writes that atheism is a temporary condition in v11 - every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord - even the atheists will need confess this truth! But in order to gain the everlasting benefits that come from confessing Jesus as Lord, you need to confess it here and now. Imagine one of your best life long friends, who gained success in every area of life, only to give up all they had to take all of the guilt and blame and consequences for all of the wrongs you had committed in your life. That's the picture that this passage paints of who Jesus is and what He did. Dig Deeper For many people, the fact that people sing in public at our worship services seems weird. After all, there are few places in our society where people sing together out loud! But it's quite likely that this passage was one of the church's first hymns. Even though singing seems weird in our society, God's people have always sung God's Word back to Him. Singing helps cement the words into your memory. This is why as we worship, after God's Word is read, the congregation often responds by singing God's Word like an echo. You may or may not be a good singer. It really doesn't matter. As you join your congregation in corporate worship, pay attention to the words that you're singing and notice how it reflects the scripture that's been read. Then belt it out, because as you do you'll become more and more certain of who your Triune God is and what He's done for you. What are some of your favorite songs to sing at church? Use the comment box below to share! AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: The one who is above all things and to whom all glory is due (v9 & 11) ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will vave the same love and purpose that Jesus did because you are united to Him. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 23

Summary The focus of 2 Corinthians 5 is reconciliation.

God grants us grace; we need to extend it to others as well. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 13 Q. Can we pay this debt ourselves? A. Certainly not. Actually, we increase our guilt every day. Summary When I was a kid, many stores offered a service known as layaway. A customer would bring an item to the layaway department, and make a small payment on that item. The store associate would mark down the customer's information and how much was owed and hold on to the item. Over a period of time, the customer could continue to make payments on the item until they paid for it in full, and then they would take it home. What would it be like to go to the layaway department to make your final payment on the item, only to find that it was now going to cost you more to pay for that item? Each time you would come back expecting to pay off the item, and each time the cost of the item increased. With our sin, not only can we not make the payment to appease God’s wrath, but the debt increases more every day! Dig Deeper When Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, he included a short prayer of confession in the Lord’s Prayer: And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors (v12). We offer prayers of confession because of the constant increase in our sin. No matter how often we try to keep ourselves from sin, we cannot completely live a sin free life. It simply is not possible, no matter how righteous a person may appear. All it takes is an unkind word, a seemingly small lie, or an impure thought. They are all sins. Just because you sin, and your sin increases every day, does not mean that you should stop asking for forgiveness or give up on walking God’s righteous path. In teaching His followers how to pray, Jesus commands you to continue to ask for forgiveness from God. Not only that, but you must grant others forgiveness too. When Jesus is teaching the Lord’s Prayer, He takes the act of forgiveness one step further. Not only must you ask God for forgiveness, you need to pass along what you've been given to others. You cannot live with bitter and angry hearts, holding on to the sin that others have committed against you. You are to live with grace. God grants us his grace, so we need to give it to others as well. Who do you need to forgive? AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who is in heaven, your name is holy. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Grant me forgiveness for my sin, and help me to forgive others. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 6

Church discipline always works. Sometimes it also results in restoration. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 85 Q. How is the kingdom of heaven closed and opened by Christian discipline? A. According to the command of Christ: Those who, though called Christians, profess unchristian teachings or live unchristian lives, and after repeated and loving counsel refuse to abandon their errors and wickedness, and after being reported to the church, that is, to its officers, fail to respond also to their admonition— such persons the officers exclude from the Christian fellowship by withholding the sacraments from them, and God himself excludes them from the kingdom of Christ. Such persons, when promising and demonstrating genuine reform, are received again as members of Christ and of his church. Summary Yesterday we read about the ugly account in which a man who had been proudly sinning in a way that made the pagans blush. Paul took the Corinthian church to task for tolerating such an ugly sin and instructed them to "expel the wicked man from among you (1 Cor. 5.13)." Church discipline, while necessary, can often seem cold and callous. But when done faithfully, it always works. Sometimes it works by simply ridding the church of a cancerous sin which might infect others. But in this particular case, and many others since then, church discipline achieves its primary goal: bringing the wayward sinner into repentance. The man we read about yesterday is quite likely the same man we read about today, only this time he's characterized by overwhelming sorrow rather than sinful pride. Being put out from the church had the exact intended effect upon him, which the Holy Spirit used to open the man's eyes to see his sin and come to repentance. Paul's instructions regarding this man are quite different than what we read yesterday. Instead of "handing him over to Satan," the church must comfort him. Rather than expulsion, he must be forgiven. Dig Deeper The Belgic Confession is part of the Three Forms of Unity, which, along with the Heidelberg Catechism and the Canons of Dordt, gives expression to what Reformed churches believe the Bible says. It gives the Church three key tasks that it must perform in order to be considered a true church: Preach the pure gospel; Maintain the pure administration of the sacraments; Exercise church discipline to punish sin. In general, we're pretty good at these first two marks. But faithfully exercising church discipline is never easy. It's awkward, embarrassing, and can easily and quickly go off the rails. Besides, as upper midwesterners, we abhor confrontation, so it's way easier to just pretend we don't see the obvious. Maybe if we just work harder at the first two marks, we think to ourselves, the need for the third will vanish. But yet we've been commanded to keep the church pure. We're not interested in chasing out repentant sinners; in fact, we need to attract more of them! But those who willfully, continually, and unrepentantly put their own wants and desires ahead of the Kingdom have no business being in it. For our own good, and possibly even theirs, we must - after repeated brotherly counsel and pleading for them to repent - show them the door. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who demands perfect obedience, but welcomes all those who repent of their sin; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that your church would be welcoming to repentant sinners, but hostile to those who unrepentantly cling to sin. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 1 Corinthians 4