You belong to God, but don't get too cocky about it. freedailybiblestudy.com Deuteronomy 9:4-6 (NIV) of the advice Moses gives to Israel on God's behalf right before they enter into the Promised Land. 4   - The Power of Preaching 1 Cor 1.23-24 - God's Foolishness Psalm 93 - Mightier Than Chaos ​ Article 4: 4:1-8 - One and the Same Romans 4:9-17 - Chicken or Egg? Romans 4:18-25 - Faithfully Face the Facts Hebrews 11:39-40 - Promises Kept Psalm 33 - God's Control,

While this battle is brutal and unceasing, Romans 7 gives you peace for two reasons. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Romans 9

you fill your mind with whatever is noble, right, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy (Philippians 4:

Normally paying off debt is good... but not always! Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 107 Q. Is it enough then that we do not kill our neighbor in any such way? A. No. By condemning envy, hatred, and anger God tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves, to be patient, peace-loving, gentle, merciful, and friendly to them, to protect them from harm as much as we can, and to do good even to our enemies. Summary One of the best feelings in life is to finally pay off a long standing debt. Once the debt is satisfied, you can spend the money you had been using for payments for whatever you want. We often apply this same principle to our relationships. If someone does you a favor, you're indebted to them until you reciprocate. Once you're even again, you can use your time however you'd like. The Bible has no room for such an attitude. Since loving others is the fulfillment of the law, and love "is not self-seeking" and "keeps no record (1 Cor. 13:5)," you'll never completely fulfill God's law. You'll always be seeking to reflect the holiness of God that the law points to in the lives of those you have relationships with. In that sense, be glad to let this debt to one another never be paid in full. As Jesus teaches us in the Sermon on the Mount, the Law is much more than a collection of do-nots. In other words, although not killing people who cross you will keep you out of trouble with the civil law, you will not have fully complied with the sixth commandment until you "love your neighbor as yourself." Dig Deeper One of the major truths of the Bible comes near the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus indicates that the righteousness of His disciples must surpass that of the Pharisees (Matt. 5:17). We understand this doctrine two ways. First, praise God that Jesus has already fulfilled your coventantal obligation to perfectly abide by God's Law. In this way, everyone who trusts in Christ alone has the all surpassing righteousness that God requires from those He's in communion with. Secondly, the grace that included you in the righteousness of Christ also equips you to live out all of the implications of God's law. In this way, you're personal righteousness must surpass the Pharisees. Whereas they were content to just follow the letter of the law, you must make every effort to not only avoid breaking the commandments, but also look for ways to love those around you in every situation you face. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father who calls us to love others the way that He loves us; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will see opportunities to love your neighbor as yourself and have the desire to follow through; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 3 John

Galatians 4:1-7 As long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world. 4   - The Power of Preaching 1 Cor 1.23-24 - God's Foolishness Psalm 93 - Mightier Than Chaos ​ Article 4: 4:1-8 - One and the Same Romans 4:9-17 - Chicken or Egg? Romans 4:18-25 - Faithfully Face the Facts Hebrews 11:39-40 - Promises Kept Psalm 33 - God's Control,

Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 43 Q. As Paul wrote to the Romans, if we have been united with Christ in a death like his, we shall also be

All who remain in him will die, but God sent a new Adam, one born of a woman, but yet not descended from

Romans 8:28–30 (ESV) 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for Today: Matthew 4

God's power is best experienced as you hear His Word preached. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 84 Q. How does preaching the gospel open and close the kingdom of heaven? A. According to the command of Christ: The kingdom of heaven is opened by proclaiming and publicly declaring to all believers, each and every one, that, as often as they accept the gospel promise in true faith, God, because of what Christ has done, truly forgives all their sins. The kingdom of heaven is closed, however, by proclaiming and publicly declaring to unbelievers and hypocrites that, as long as they do not repent, the anger of God and eternal condemnation rest on them. God’s judgment, both in this life and in the life to come, is based on this gospel testimony. Summary Verses 9-10 are a great example of how simply the gospel can be presented, and they're well worth memorizing: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. But your heart and mouth do not operate independently... well, they often do, but that usually doesn't turn out well because your brain is supposed to be in control. Salvation requires that mental connection as well. The Israelites were lost in sin because they first got lost intellectually. Paul writes that "Since they did not know the righteousness of God, they sought to establish their own (v3)." It makes sense that before a person can accept the gospel (good news), he must have some understanding of what the gospel entails: that Jesus is Lord, and that God raised him from the dead. In the entire course of human history, nobody has ever come to this conclusion on their own. Everyone who has received salvation received it after they were informed about it. Sometimes (but not very often) a person comes to understand the gospel as a result of her own independent study of scripture. The ordinary way that God brings salvation to people is through the preached proclamation of His Word. This is why Paul finishes this passage as he does in v14-15: BELIEF IN CHRIST requires HEARING ABOUT CHRIST which requires PREACHING which requires PREACHERS BE SENT OUT. Dig Deeper It's really good that you're taking the time to read God's Word for yourself. You need this in a big way, and it's such a shame that most people - most Christians, even - do not take the time to benefit from this simply daily discipline. God's Word is certainly powerful and transforming as you read it, but there's something different that adds even more power as you hear it proclaimed on the Lord's Day. The great reformer, John Calvin, mentions three big reasons you must regularly be present to hear the preached Word, even (especially) after you've believed in the gospel message: The preached Word is the very voice of God. When the preacher reads and explains the Bible, it's as if God is speaking directly to you; God is present in the preached Word. You may feel God's presence fishing on a peaceful lake or in some other happy place, but to truly experience the fullness of God's presence, come and listen to His Word being proclaimed. Preaching is the sceptre with which Christ rules all things. "Preaching is not only the sceptre by which Christ rules within His Church but also the sword in the hand of the Church by which, secretly and unknown even to itself, the Church rules or brings judgment amongst the nations." Calvin goes on to list five more benefits of preaching, so be assured that if you truly desire to experience the peace of Christ in your life, you need to faithfully hear the Word preached every Lord's Day. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who reveals Himself to us through His Word, which is to be publicly proclaimed; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that your zeal for God would be based on the true knowledge of the gospel; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 1 Corinthians 1

The Roman Catholic Church had been walking away from this assurance as it made salvation increasingly Much of their conviction was based on these words we read today from Romans 1.