Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 16 Q. This imagery aligns with the requirement from Leviticus 23:10 for the Israelites to bring the firstfruits Dig Deeper In Q&A 16 the catechism raises an important question… why? from death to life ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 10

Even good & godly things can become idols. What are you tempted to idolize? Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 97 Q. May we then not make any image at all? A. God can not and may not be visibly portrayed in any way. Although creatures may be portrayed, yet God forbids making or having such images if one’s intention is to worship them or to serve God through them. Summary After the people of Israel had been wandering in the desert for some time, they became impatient with the Lord. They were sick of eating the same food, and they grew frustrated that God was not immediately taking them to the Promised Land. So the LORD sent venomous snakes among the people, and many of the Israelites were bitten and died. The people cried out to God, admitting their sin. God told Moses to create a bronze snake, so that when the people were bitten by a venomous snake, they could look at the bronze snake and be healed (Numbers 21). Seven hundred years later, during the reign of King Hezekiah, the Israelites were burning incense to the bronze snake. You read that correctly, 700 years later the people were burning incense to the same bronze snake that Moses had lifted up in the desert. God had told Moses to make the bronze snake to save the people, and the people ended up burning incense to that snake, turning a symbol of the coming Messiah's salvation into an idol. King Hezekiah came along and destroyed that snake to keep people from falsely worshiping it. Dig Deeper Is there an item in your church building that was donated by someone years ago? Perhaps it has a little plaque by it saying who donated it? Or maybe there is a beautiful tapestry sewn by hand that hangs on a prominent wall. It seems that every church building that is 30+ years old has at least one of those types of items. It was donated at one time, and now it sits there because how do you get rid of something someone donated? We may not worship that item like we worship God, but it may have become sacred. I’ve seen church members leave a church because an item their family donated twenty years ago was being moved to a different place in the building. Something that was meant to honor God has become something that causes division in his church. This is the danger of idolatry and why God has given this commandment. We do not set out to make idols. When Moses made the bronze snake, he did so at God’s command. But over time, these items become sacred, putting them in a place that should only be reserved for God. What item in your church building has become sacred? Is it time to get rid of that item? Would that cause an issue in your congregation? Nothing should be put before the Lord. We are to worship God and serve him alone. The bronze snake - the very symbol of salvation - became an idol to the people of Israel, and it needed to be destroyed. Do not fall into the same trap with an item in your church building. Worship and serve the Lord alone. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Lord of all Creation, nothing is above you; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Lord, what have I placed before you? What it is occupying a place in my heart that should only be reserved for you? ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 2 Corinthians 6

Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 121 Q. (Job 42:1-2) Dig Deeper Most of us will never endure a storm like what Job suffered through, but yet will hear your prayers; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 1

Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 117 Q. Let passages like this one here in 1 John build your confidence that "God will surely listen to your according to His will; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - John 19

where the “perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality” (1 Cor 15:53). for God’s Spirit to renew and transform you to walk in the good works He has prepared for you (Eph. 2:10 ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Mark 15

Summary From Q&A 6 and Genesis 1 and 2, we learned that God is not the culprit of the corruption of human Paul illustrates this in Romans 5:12, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and news is that even if we are all guilty beginning with that first transgression in the garden, Romans 5:18 –19 reveals the solution, Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Mark 14

proof answer 6 points to is the beginning of the universe and the first chapter of the Bible: Genesis 1. At the end of each day, there is a phrase pattern repeated seven times in Genesis 1, “And God saw that it was good” (Gen. 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, & 31). the universe is over, he looks it over and declares it is all—including human beings—very good (Gen. 1: Paul in the New Testament reminds us in 1 Timothy 4:4, “For everything God created is good, and nothing

Lots of people say 'Jesus Christ' often... be one of the people who knows what it means! 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 While we celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas, there is no reason to limit our study of these verses to one season. Just as the resurrection is relevant all year long, so too is the virgin birth. Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus is less detailed than the one found in the Gospel of Luke (which gets the most love around Christmas time). However, what we see in Matthew’s condensed telling of Jesus’ birth is the most important details being highlighted: the role of the Holy Spirit in Mary conceiving Jesus, the name and purpose of this child, and the faithfulness of Joseph to the angels command in naming the child. Dig Deeper When each of our children were born, there was a time at the hospital when my wife and I had to fill out information for the birth certificate. It is common today for parents to name their child either on the day they are born or shortly after. For us, this was something my wife and I did together. Things were a little different when Jesus was born into the world. According to the custom of the day, the duty of naming a son was reserved for the father, who would do so when the child was circumcised, eight days after birth. The visit from the angel changed Joseph’s perspective. Instead of doubting Mary, he now knew the truth of this miraculous child. Instead of leaving Mary, Joseph was faithful to the directions given to him by the angel. When the day came, Joseph gave the child the name Jesus, as he had been instructed. The name Jesus is significant because its Hebrew root means Yahweh saves. As the angel explains to Joseph, this name is fitting because Jesus would go on to save his people from their sins. What is shown in the angel’s message is how Jesus’ purpose was made clear before he was ever born. Jesus came to save us from our sins. Rejoice this day not just in the grace given by Jesus on the cross, but that saving believers like you and me is the reason Jesus came into the world at all. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: God almighty, who became Immanuel - God with us; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you, like Joseph, will do what the Lord has commanded you to do. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Hebrews 7

ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Romans 11

Frivolous warning signs are easy to ignore, but not all warnings are frivolous. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 82 Q. Are those to be admitted to the Lord’s Supper who show by what they say and do that they are unbelieving and ungodly? A. No, that would dishonor God’s covenant and bring down God’s anger upon the entire congregation. Therefore, according to the instruction of Christ and his apostles, the Christian church is duty-bound to exclude such people, by the official use of the keys of the kingdom, until they reform their lives. Summary The celebration of the Lord's Supper in Corinth had become a farce. Earlier in this chapter, Paul writes of how some would go hungry while another would over indulge until he was drunk. After reiterating the instructions Jesus gave for participating in His body and blood, Paul lays down a stern warning: those who come to the table in an unworthy manner are guilty of sinning against the body and blood of Jesus! So serious is this sin that it may even cause the entire congregation to get sick and even die (v30)! This seems really harsh, but we're reminded that the Lord disciplines us now so that we will not be condemned with the rest of the world. The Lord's discipline, though sometimes painful, is actually an act of His grace! One important key to coming to the Lord's table in a worthy manner is given in v28: you must examine yourself beforehand. That means, as one lexicon put it, "to try to learn the genuineness" of your faith. This is why most Reformed churches announce their communion celebration well in advance, and then spend time corporately as also individually preparing, so that each member of the congregation can examine their faith, hope and love to make sure it's firmly rooted in Christ alone. Dig Deeper We get so used to warning signs being slapped on to everything due to the overabundant caution manufacturers exercise as the result of often frivolous lawsuits stemming from people who hurt themselves by abusing the company's product. We see WARNING, DANGER & CAUTION placards so often now that we rarely take the time to read them or understand the dangers they communicate. It's easy to convey that lackadaisical attitude toward scripture. Certainly there are all sorts of warnings, especially in the Old Testament but also in the New Testament, about the repercussions God's covenant people can expect if they transgress God's commands. But as Christians we're so accustomed to downplaying and flat out disregarding these warnings because we know in the end our sins have been atoned for and forgiven in Christ, and that somehow that makes us exempt from God's discipline. Don't make that mistake. Take the Bible's warnings against sin, and especially this warning regarding unworthy participation in the Supper seriously. Don't let it scare you away, but as you prepare for it, examine your life for indwelling sin and root it out as you ensure your faith is placed squarely in Christ. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who lovingly disciplines His children to save them from eternal condemnation; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you take all of the Bible's warnings against sin seriously; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Luke 22