Evaluate your position in life from God's perspective, not the world's. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 124 Q. What does the third request mean? A. “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” means, Help us and all people to reject our own wills and to obey your will without any back talk. Your will alone is good. Help us one and all to carry out the work we are called to, as willingly and faithfully as the angels in heaven. Summary Some consider this passage to be controversial, alleging that the 19th century American church used it as an excuse to continue the practice of slavery. But this allegation doesn't hold much water, since immediately after telling slaves to be content in their situation, Paul encourages them to gain their freedom if possible (v21). Far from being a rationale for the oppressors to continue their oppression (as so many in our day and age want to think the Bible does), this passage completely dismantles the human class system that supposedly defines the level of a person's status in society. As Christians, you are to consider yourself as the Lord eternally defines you, rather than the way others see you based on your current temporal situation. Our sinful instinct is to see the wealthy upper crust as intrinsically better people than the poor and downtrodden, so, especially as Americans, we do all we can to improve our upward mobility. While it's not wrong in and of itself for you to want to better yourself, this desire quickly turns into a dominating sin when your entire self image becomes based on the subjective standards that have been foisted upon you by society rather than responding to God's calling. Dig Deeper The entire doctrine taught in this passage is encapsulated in the opening verse (v17): Each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. In other words, be content no matter what your societal status is, with two very important caveats. First, be certain that the Lord has "assigned" you the position that you're in. If you can fully serve the Lord and grow in faith in your current life situation, it's a good indication that you're where the Lord has assigned you to be, no matter what the rest of the world thinks about it. But if you sense growth opportunities which require doing the hard work to change stations in life by moving either up or even down(!!) the societal ladder, then perhaps God is changing your assignment in life and you must respond. Second, and somewhat similarly, are you where God has "called" you? You may have found a very comfortable niche in life that you'd just as soon remain in, but by doing so you might be evading God's calling, putting you in a dangerous situation. Think of how comfortable Jonah was sleeping in the hold of the ship before God sent a storm to remind Jonah of his calling. Evaluating life from a divine perspective rather than the world's wisdom is massively difficult. Just remember, it doesn't matter what other people think. "Keeping God's commands is what counts (v19)." This is why your prayers must often include the words "Thy will be done." AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who called you and assigned you the life you're living; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that God's will be done, on earth as it is in heaven, and that He'll help you to discern where He's assigned you to be; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Revelation 6

Summary In this letter John is writing to a church during a time of struggle to encourage them after John reaffirms what the false teachers tried to deny: the full divinity and humanity of Christ. In the third chapter of this letter, John addresses how to respond to what had occurred. John gives a means of testing to see where one’s allegiance lies, writing that “anyone who does not do will come; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Revelation 1

also been familiar with the Old Testament metaphor of Israel as God’s vineyard (Psalm 80:8–16; Isaiah 5: 1–7; Jer. 2:21). words, and commands; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 1

Much of their conviction was based on these words we read today from Romans 1. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 17

Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 5 Q.

A fitting Psalm to drive home the message of the Questions and Answers this week is Psalm 51. the right hand of God; 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 53 Q. Summary John 16 comes in the middle of one of the most intense conversations in history, as Jesus spoke These chapters in John's gospel form the basis for much of our theology and understanding of God's Tri-une

Gospels: Week 4 - Kingdom Teaching and Parables Matthew 5:1–11 (NASB95) 1 When Jesus saw the crowds, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 Summary Matthew 5 marks the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. This is what we find Jesus doing at the opening of Matthew 5, he climbs the mountain and sits down in Regardless of the number of teaching sessions represented in Matthew 5-7, we are blessed to still have

Jeremiah 17:5-8 (NIV) 5  This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, Dig Deeper The LORD's words here in Jeremiah 17 make sense even when read out of the context they originally Today: 1 Corinthians 15

communion, know that you are spiritually in the very presence of Jesus Christ, and that you are being joined