The invitation to the Lord's Table is the most exclusive invitation you'll ever receive. 1 Peter 1:21 -25 (NIV) 21  Through him [Christ] you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him

1 John 4:19-21 (NIV) 19  We love because he first loved us. 20  Whoever claims to love God yet hates does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 Pray for the wisdom and desire to share the love that God showed you in a way consistent with God's revealed

BibleHub.com Romans 9:16-21 (NIV) 15  God says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy ”  21  Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special This is the well-known decree of election and reprobation revealed in God’s Word. 

Prophets reveal God's salvation. But be on guard for the ones who lead to death! not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ 21

Jesus suffered so that you would be healed and follow in His steps. 1 Peter 2:21-25 (NIV) 21 To this

wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud. 21 I wonder what it must have been like to be Isaiah; to have been given these revelations from God Himself

It's not a coincidence that courtrooms & sanctuaries look so similar! Find out why. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 112 Q. What is God’s will for you in the ninth commandment? A. God’s will is that I never give false testimony against anyone, twist no one’s words, not gossip or slander, nor join in condemning anyone without a hearing or without a just cause. Rather, in court and everywhere else, I should avoid lying and deceit of every kind; these are devices the devil himself uses, and they would call down on me God’s intense anger. I should love the truth, speak it candidly, and openly acknowledge it. And I should do what I can to guard and advance my neighbor’s good name. Dig Deeper (you didn't read that wrong... our order is switched up today!) We're back to Deuteronomy again today, a book we've been in often as we dig into God's Law for our lives in this section of the Catechism. The Heidelberg Catechism is divided up into three sections, often referred to as the 3 G's: Guilt / Grace / Gratitude. As we go through the Law, we're in the Gratitude section, although the Law may often seem to us to fit better in the Guilt section, since through it we see how far from God's perfect righteousness our lives often are! But God's Law fits best in the Gratitude section, because that's how it's presented in the Bible. God does not give His Law to Israel as a condition for freeing them from Egypt, rather He gives it to define the covenantal relationship He's brought them into after graciously freeing them. Here's how one commentator describes this section of Deuteronomy: What follows is not a code of laws, but a pastoral address [from Moses] presenting a vision of covenant righteousness that is not legalistic; it is guided by Torah, but driven by the Spirit of God and arises from a grateful and compassionate heart. In this regard, this "vision of covenant righteousness" that you read about in Deuteronomy applies to you as a Christian whose been set free from slavery to sin in the same way it applied to the Israelites freed from slavery in Egypt, even if at certain points the particulars differ. Summary Courtrooms often have a church sanctuary type of feel to them. Both rooms often have similar architecture, often with deep wood tones. The one leading the proceedings sits slightly above the audience, which is often seated in pews. Both rooms are quiet, and a certain decorum is maintained. Certainly these similarities reflect the serious nature of the subject in both the court and church, but it also pays homage to the same Lord who is present in both settings (v17). Notice, though, that God does not act as the prosecutor, or sit in the judge's seat, or even pronounce the jury's verdict. Rather, God oversees justice using ordinary means: people He's authorized to "make a thorough investigation" into the matter at hand (v18). The judges, lawyers and jury are all doing the Lord's work! The whole system is predicated on honesty, but yet honesty is never assumed. Testimony must be corroborated, claims must be verified and accusations must be proven. Liars, false witnesses and perjurers are to be dealt with severely: the punishment that would apply to the accused if guilty must fall upon them so that when others hear about what happened, they'll be too terrified to lie in court if they every must take the stand. Moses tells them to "show no pity" in invoking the principle of lex talionis: "life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot (v21)." As a Christian, do whatever you need to do to "purge the evil from among you (v19)." The best way you can do that is to make sure you keep the 9th commandment and never bear false witness. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, the God of all justice; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the wisdom to be able to discern the truth, and the courage to always speak truthfully; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - John 7

Revenge is best served by our holy & righteous Father. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 105 Q. What is God’s will for you in the sixth commandment? A. I am not to belittle, insult, hate, or kill my neighbor— not by my thoughts, my words, my look or gesture, and certainly not by actual deeds— and I am not to be party to this in others; rather, I am to put away all desire for revenge. I am not to harm or recklessly endanger myself either. Prevention of murder is also why government is armed with the sword. Summary One of our most fundamental inclinations as Americans is the concept of fairness, that people ought to get exactly what they deserve. It's this deeply embedded motivation that the Bible calls you to push back against. Rather than repaying a person by giving him what he's got coming, you must "not take revenge." The catechism reminds us here that that an ugly concept like murder is not limited to the overt actions related to physically taking a person's life, but extends to seemingly benign actions such as belittling and insulting people. Sometimes it might feel good to blow off a little steam by verbally assaulting a person who's been giving you grief so that things don't escalate into a full blown physical confrontation, but you can see that the catechism is simply echoing Paul's advice to, "as far as it depends upon you, to live at peace with everyone, and do not take revenge." This peace that you're called to is much more than just an outward politeness in which you don't say the quiet part out loud, even as you seethe and simmer on the inside. No, the Bible calls you to a pervasive, permeating peace that radiates from the inside out; a peace that keeps not just your mouth and hands in check, but your thoughts, looks and gestures as well. This passage ends with the famous line: Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. This passage often gets externalized, as if the best way to overcome bad guys is to shower them in good deeds. That may occasionally be the case, but I don't think that's what Paul means here. He wasn't referring to the evil reigning all around you, but the evil that seeks to plant its flag inside of you - your sinful nature (Sarx), who gains ground with every revenge filled thought and attitude you allow to fester. Overcome Sarx by flooding him out as you fill your mind with whatever is noble, right, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). Dig Deeper The concept of revenge is a theme deeply woven into the fabric of scripture. In fact, the Bible draws to a close with Jesus promising to do the very thing that Paul here prohibits you from doing: Jesus will return with His settlement, meaning that He will repay everyone with exactly what they deserve, either good or bad. Base the peace that you've been commanded to have by "leaving room for God's wrath, for it is written, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord." AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father who has promised to reward good and repay evil; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the strength to let go of your sinful instinct to desire revenge and instead reflect the goodness and forgiveness Jesus has shown you; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 1 John 3

Two spirits are battling for your allegiance. Which will you follow? Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 87 Q. Can those be saved who do not turn to God from their ungrateful and impenitent ways? A. By no means. Scripture tells us that no unchaste person, no idolater, adulterer, thief, no covetous person, no drunkard, slanderer, robber, or the like is going to inherit the kingdom of God. Summary If you attended Sunday School growing up, you likely learned about fruit of the Spirit. Perhaps you have even memorized Galatians 5:22-23: “But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against these things there is no law.” While many know of the Fruit of the Spirit, much less attention is typically paid to the warning that comes immediately before that famous passage. Before we are given the Fruit of the Spirit, we are first told of the desires of the flesh. These desires of the flesh are aligned with our human nature, which is part of a fallen creation. Paul wrote this letter to the Galatians to warn them about the danger of thinking their own good deeds were necessary for salvation. By comparing these two lists - the fruit of the Spirit vs. the desires of the flesh, Paul shows them (and now us) the danger that comes from depending upon our own selves rather than having faith in Christ. Dig Deeper Everyone has their own unique quirks, one of mine is that I do not like to leave things unfinished. A side effect of this is that I prefer to not start watching a movie in the evening. While others may doze off during the movie, I will stay up until I’ve seen the ending. In matters of entertainment, missing out on a few details is not a life altering event. However, in matters of faith those few details can be very important. This can be seen in the desires of the flesh of which we are told those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Upon reading the desires of the flesh listed in Galatians 5, you may be tempted to become hyper-focused on avoiding those sins. And while we are called to repent and turn away from our sin, there is more to this teaching than just trying to not sin. It matters not only that you depart from sin but also to where you are placing your trust upon that departure. This teaching on the desires of the flesh is intertwined with the Fruit of the Spirit. The encouragement is to walk by the Spirit, trusting the work of the Holy Spirit in your life rather than your ability to not sin. The presence of the Spirit is what leads to the manifestation of the Fruit of the Spirit in your life. Alternatively, if your life is oriented around the desires of the flesh, you will not inherit the kingdom of God because you have instead established a kingdom of your own. Be mindful of not only the presence of sin in your life but also where you are placing your trust. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who sends His Spirit to walk with us each day; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will be led by the Spirit and not your own desires; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 1 Corinthians 9

he has for us and our salvation— commanded his servants, the prophets and apostles, to commit this revealed (v20)" In other words, every word of the Old Testament is shining its light on what would be revealed