God not only can provide for you, but He desires to because He's your Father! Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 26 Q. What do you believe when you say, “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth”? A. That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who out of nothing created heaven and earth and everything in them, who still upholds and rules them by his eternal counsel and providence, is my God and Father because of Christ his Son. I trust him so much that I do not doubt he will provide whatever I need for body and soul, and he will turn to my good whatever adversity he sends me in this sad world. He is able to do this because he is almighty God; he desires to do this because he is a faithful Father. Summary Today's passage comes in the context of a letter written to brand new Christians who lived in a very pagan world. Much of their economy centered around the idol temple industry. In fact for most people, the only source of meat was the markets selling the meat that had been killed in sacrifice in an idol temple. In response to the Corinthians' query, Paul said that in most cases, this wasn't a sinful transaction, since the idols were "nothing at all in the world (v4)." Certainly the Corinthians' meat sourcing issue isn't one we face, especially since most of us live in the heart of the finest meat production region in the world! But what Paul writes next in v5-6 has massive implications for us. We might not have pagan temples in our towns, but American society is filled with all sorts of people and products positioning themselves as de facto "gods" and "lords." Yet regardless of society, "for us there is but one God." God is the sovereign creator and the uncaused cause "from whom all things came," but once again the reminder comes that He's not just a distant detached force that created the universe but has no real interest in your particular life. Rather, He's your Father. We read yesterday that He is actively orchestrating all things for your good! This results in an obligation on your part. Just as your Father is actively interested in you, you must be actively interested in Him. So much, in fact, that He is the reason "for whom you live!" Dig Deeper While it's comforting to be reminded that God is our omnipotent Father and not just an impersonal deity, the comfort would quickly fall flat without the final clause in v6. You were born sinful, unable to fulfill your obligation to live for God from the very moment you were conceived. The good news today is that God remains your Father because of Christ His Son! Just as all things came from God through Jesus, you can now fully live for God through Jesus, since you live in Christ! As you finish another week, thank your Father for redeeming your life through the obedience, death and resurrection of Jesus, and keep your eyes open for opportunities to live for God through Christ. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for sending Jesus, and ask for strength & perseverance to live for God through Christ. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Hebrews 1

This is the most comforting verse of the most comforting chapter of the most comforting book! Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 26 Q. What do you believe when you say, “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth”? A. That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who out of nothing created heaven and earth and everything in them, who still upholds and rules them by his eternal counsel and providence, is my God and Father because of Christ his Son. I trust him so much that I do not doubt he will provide whatever I need for body and soul, and he will turn to my good whatever adversity he sends me in this sad world. He is able to do this because he is almighty God; he desires to do this because he is a faithful Father. Summary I've always told my students when they don't know where else to turn in life, to turn to Romans 8. The book of Romans is a summary of the entire Bible, and chapter 8 summarizes the book of Romans. It's by far the most important chapter of the Bible, in part because of promises it makes like what we read today. You need to be careful with this passage, however, because this one gets misused and abused quite often. First of all, don't be too quick to pull this passage out immediately after a sudden loss in order to attempt to demonstrate the tragedy was actually a good thing. For example, a young family who's just lost their father would benefit far more from any number of other passages reminding them of God's tender, faithful love then from an explanation that somehow their loss is a blessing in disguise. Second, notice the qualifiers in v28: This promise is only for those who are called by God and who love Him. And remember what is good according to God's purpose may not seem good at all to you, either now or ever. The word 'promise' is insufficient to describe what God says to you in this passage. 'Promise' is often used to describe a fulfillment that may or may not actually happen; promises get broken all the time, even when the promise giver has the best of intentions. Instead, think of this passage as a guarantee. You can be certain that God will turn to your good whatever adversity He sends you in this sad world (we don't have time to dig into that, but chew on that reality today!) because of what He's already accomplished through our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ! Verses 29 & 30 are often referred to as the unbreakable 'golden chain' of our salvation: God foreknew, predestined, called, justified and glorified you! Those are all past tense verbs - things that have already taken place that guarantee your future is good. Dig Deeper This passage is an awesome reminder of your only comfort, that you belong body and soul, in life and in death, to your faithful Savior Jesus Christ. The best way to prepare yourself for this passage to comfort you when adversity comes in the future is to be convinced right now that these words apply to you. The evidence that you've been called according to God's purpose is that your life is increasingly being conformed to the image of His Son. The more you immerse yourself in God's Word by gathering with God's people on the Lord's Day, and reading His Word and responding in prayer throughout the week, the more confident you will be that God is working out all things for your good. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father in heaven, the one who works out all things for good; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will more and more be conformed to the image of Jesus. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 28

Defeat doubt by solidifying your trust in God's sovereign providence. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 26 Q. What do you believe when you say, “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth”? A. That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who out of nothing created heaven and earth and everything in them, who still upholds and rules them by his eternal counsel and providence, is my God and Father because of Christ his Son. I trust him so much that I do not doubt he will provide whatever I need for body and soul, and he will turn to my good whatever adversity he sends me in this sad world. He is able to do this because he is almighty God; he desires to do this because he is a faithful Father. Summary My former professor, John Frame, describes God's sovereignty as having three aspects: control, authority and presence. All three of these aspects are on display in Psalm 104. This Psalm, like so many of them, uses beautiful poetry to describe the control that God maintains over His creation. Notice all of the active verbs: God wraps, stretches, and fits. He makes (4x), sets and rebukes. God has this absolute control over all things because He alone has the authority to do so. Verse 32 captures God's authority: "He looks at the earth, and it trembles; He touches the mountains, and they smoke." But it's the third aspect of God's sovereignty that we're focusing on here today: His presence. God is not just an omnipotent force scowling from a distance over the universe He called into being. Just the opposite, in fact! The entire universe depends on God's ongoing presence to provide for all of its needs on an ongoing basis. The trees, birds, mountains, even the moon, the sea and all of its creatures "all look to You to give them their food at the proper time (v27)." Notice that it's not the presence of God that terrifies His creatures, rather it's when "You hide Your face, they are terrified." Dig Deeper We live in a culture of doubt and skepticism, and many people - maybe even you - worry constantly that all you have will be lost. Today our catechism helps us escape that doubt: I trust him so much that I do not doubt... Escape the doubt and skepticism of this world by reminding yourself often of the trust you can have in God because of the control, authority and presence He demonstrates in His Word. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: O LORD my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty (v1) ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will trust God's control, authority and presence so much that you will not doubt His providence. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 27

Know that whatever happens today, nothing can thwart the purposes of our Sovereign God. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 26 Q. What do you believe when you say, “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth”? A. That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who out of nothing created heaven and earth and everything in them, who still upholds and rules them by his eternal counsel and providence, is my God and Father because of Christ his Son. I trust him so much that I do not doubt he will provide whatever I need for body and soul, and he will turn to my good whatever adversity he sends me in this sad world. He is able to do this because he is almighty God; he desires to do this because he is a faithful Father. Summary The story of God's covenant people in the Old Testament is one episode after another of their pagan neighbors threatening their security. While it's true that at times God enabled these nations to rise up against His sinful people in order to punish them, God would consistently answer the Israelites' prayers for salvation when they finally came around. This section of the book of Isaiah is full of God's promises for deliverance, containing oracles against powerful enemies like Babylon and Moab. This particular passage concerning God's promise to crush Assyria is one of the shortest passages in this section, but it's also one of the most pointed and significant. God, through His prophet Isaiah, reminds His people - Israel then, and us now - that whatsoever God plans and purposes will happen, because there is no created being powerful enough to thwart Him or turn back His outstretched hand (v24 & 27). Dig Deeper We refer to this doctrine of God's absolute dominance using several different terms, but among the most common are the words omnipotent, meaning all powerful, and sovereignty. Sometimes we refer to a king or other head of state as being a sovereign, meaning they have total control over their domain. Simply put, God always gets what He wants. Understanding the concept of God's sovereignty is essential to properly understand Christian theology. We see it in every major theme in the Bible: yesterday we saw that God powerfully spoke reality into being through His Son; God demonstrates His righteous authority by cursing Adam's sin; God's omnipotence is made clear by raising Christ from the dead; and the Bible ends with God sovereignly establishing a new heavens and earth. People tend to be skeptical of promises, because they are so easy to make but hard to keep. Know that you can absolutely trust the promises God has made to you, because passages like this one in Isaiah demonstrate that He not only has the desire to make good on the promises He made, but the omnipotent ability to follow through on them as well, just as He did for Israel time and time again. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our powerful, omnipotent, sovereign God: no one can thwart Him; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for reminders like today's passage that build up your trust in His sovereignty. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 26

The world is NOT a mass of randomly evolving atoms. God created all that is for a purpose! Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 26 Q. What do you believe when you say, “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth”? A. That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who out of nothing created heaven and earth and everything in them, who still upholds and rules them by his eternal counsel and providence, is my God and Father because of Christ his Son. I trust him so much that I do not doubt he will provide whatever I need for body and soul, and he will turn to my good whatever adversity he sends me in this sad world. He is able to do this because he is almighty God; he desires to do this because he is a faithful Father. Summary Most people know the opening words of the Bible: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Last week we were reminded that God exists in a Trinity - He's one in essence and three in person - so it makes sense that God created the universe in a triune manner. Often when the Bible refers to God, we understand it to mean God the Father. So when we read in Genesis one "And God said, let there be...," we properly conclude that creation is primarily the actions and design of God the Father. But as He inspired the Apostle Paul to write the letter to the Colossians, the Holy Spirit pulls the curtain back, so to speak, and we get a fuller sense of the creation process. Here we learn that God created all things in and through His Son. As the Father powerfully called things into being that were not (Rom. 4:17), the Son was right there, transforming those words into the physical reality that continues to astound us today. What a thought! The partnership between Father & Son didn't end upon the completion of creation. In this coming week we're going to be reminded that God sovereignly and providentially controls all that happens. But just like in the work of creation, the Father doesn't work alone, rather it is "in the Son that all things hold together (v17)." Dig Deeper Sometimes things just sound better in Latin, so we stick with the old language. Such is the case with the important phrase that God created all things out of nothing. It just sounds way more elegant to say that God created all things ex Nihilo (besides the beauty of it, this is good phrase to know as you'll encounter it often as you read & learn more about creation). But the creation narrative in Genesis doesn't exactly describe an ex nihilo creation; we read of the earth being formless and empty, and the Spirit hovering over the waters. Does this mean God made the world out of pre-existing stuff? Not at all. That's just where the story in Genesis picks up. We know this because of several passages in the Bible like Colossians 1:16. God the Father, through His Son, created all things, in heaven and on earth, both visible and invisible. As you go about your work today, know that you and everything you see, and even more that you can't see, was created by your Father, both through and for your Savior. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, the invisible God, who spoke the world into being ex nihilo; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will live as you've been designed to live: for God's glory! ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 25

God's name for Himself may seem simple, but it's amazingly profound. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 25 Q. Since there is but one God, why do you speak of three: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? A. Because that is how God has revealed himself in his Word: these three distinct persons are one, true, eternal God. Summary We come to the famous story of the burning bush in the context of understanding our Triune (three in one) God. Moses arrived at the burning bush from a far different context: he'd been keeping his head down, doing his job and hoping that the Egyptians wouldn't find and prosecute him for a murder he'd committed 40 years earlier. He's lived a quiet, peaceful life as a shepherd, when out of nowhere a bush erupts into a flame that doesn't fizzle out. As he approaches the burning bush, he hears: Do not come near... the place on which you are standing is holy ground! (v5) The voice proceeds to tell Moses he's been drafted to lead the massive community of Hebrews from their slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land, flowing with milk & honey. Dig Deeper It's customary for a royal figure to be announced with what's known as a heraldry, which is often a long and complicated recitation of all of that person's titles. Each of the names read off has meaning, and the more names a royal has, the more important he is. The official heraldry God gives for Himself is neither long nor complicated, yet it is immensely profound: I AM who I AM In other words, GOD IS. God is His attributes; that is, He isn't just good, rather He defines goodness. He doesn't just act lovingly, love exists because God exists. God exists in and of Himself. He had no beginning and will never end. Time itself is one of His creations, and He lives outside of and above it. He always was, is now and always will be. The concept of God being both three and one doesn't easily harmonize with our understanding of logic. But remember, logic, just like time, is God's creation. He wrote the laws of logic, but He's not obligated to conform to them as we are. None of us will ever full comprehend who and what God is. Many people reject God because they can't understand Him. But let these incomprehensible aspects of God comfort you rather than push you away. Afterall, if our God controls rather than conforms to logic, what is there that He can't control? AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Father in heaven, your name is holy and you are above all things; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will be able to fully trust God even though you don't fully understand Him. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 24

Is God one, or is He three? Yes. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 25 Q. Since there is but one God, why do you speak of three: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? A. Because that is how God has revealed himself in his Word: these three distinct persons are one, true, eternal God. Summary In 1 Peter we see the apostle do something that he was never planning to do: write to gentiles about the faith. Yet that is exactly what he's doing as he addresses this letter to the six unique regions of the Christian world mentioned in Acts 2. People who may have even heard him preach his first sermon on the day of Pentecost are now being spoken to again by God's grace. Notice how God's grace comes: It comes to those who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of the Father. This grace comes through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, which enables the recipient to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with His blood. As Peter writes these words, you need to hear and see that this statement is one of the clearest statements of the Trinity, describing the personhood and work of God. But could you explain the Trinity? It really is important for you as a Christian to be able to, because the belief in a God being one in essence, yet three in person - this is what is meant by the word Triune (three/one) - is a foundational pillar of the Christian faith. Review the triangle illustration shown above to see what is, and is not meant when we say that God is a Trinity. What I love about this concept is that the words on the lines come right from the historical Athanasian Creed, which is a creed that we profess to believe in the Reformed World even though many haven’t read it well. But this creed unlike any other describes the role and person of the Godhead for what each is and what each is not. For nothing is confused in the Godhead. Each person is named Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each is equal in power and authority, and also in submission to one another. One of the best ways that I have found to display this is to copy down the above drawing on your own sheet of paper. But instead of standing the triangle up leave it on the table. Then you can see the submission that is at work. So that God’s grace and peace would be evident in being submission to God. Dig Deeper Our heavenly Father is always revealing Himself fully through his Word. This is why he uses the titles that he does for each person in the Godhead which we say faithfully in the Apostles Creed. We're going to be working our way through this creed line by line, learning to understand the key elements of our only comfort in life over these next few months. Lord willing, you attend a church that uses this creed regularly in worship. But if you do not I would invite you today to read through the Apostles Creed very slowly. Just spend five minutes per person and reflect on the truth and work that each of us are to believe in faith without reservation and without doubt. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Heavenly Father we praise you for revealing yourself, your Son and your Spirit by name to us. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: We pray Father, Son and Spirit that we would be willing to let you lead our days, our worship and our thoughts and our life. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 23

The Holy Spirit works lots of different ways in you to accomplish your sanctification. 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 As Jesus speaks to His disciples, the tension is mounting. The crucifixion is only hours away now, and at the end of the previous chapter, Jesus told Peter he'd deny Jesus three times. He's just explained to the disciples that He'd be going away to prepare a place for them, and dropped the truth bombs that He was the way, the truth and the life, and that He was in the Father, and the Father was in Him, and in the passage we read Jesus expands that relationship to include you! He said "I am in the Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. (v20)" Now Jesus introduces the third member of the Trinity: The Comforter... I mean Counselor... or is it the Advocate? Almost every English Bible translation uses a different word here to describe the title given to the Holy Spirit'. This may seem confusing. Which one is the most accurate? The Greek word is paraklētos, which literally means to call out from alongside. With that literal meaning, you can see why all of the English translations are correct! There's not just one word that can fully explain what the Holy Spirit does, so we must use several. It some respects, it doesn't matter what name we apply to Him, because Jesus says the Holy Spirit will be coming in His name, and will teach and remind you everything that Jesus taught. Dig Deeper The Holy Spirit has often been referred to as the shy member of the Trinity. This certainly doesn't imply timidity, instead it describes the fact that the Spirit often sets Himself in the background, shining the glory upon the Father and the Son. Yet the Spirit is every bit as much fully God as what the Father and the Son are. We meet Him in the opening verses of the Bible hovering over the waters of the deep as God the Father begins to speak the world into existence (Gen. 1:2). Although the Spirit does such a broad range of things for us - counseling, comforting, advocating on our behalf - notice that the Catechism encompasses all of these roles under one concept: the Holy Spirit is working out your sanctification. In other words, the Spirit is counseling, comforting and advocating from within you to make you look more and more like Christ in all things. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Triune God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will show your love for Christ by keeping His commands. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 22

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

God's Fatherhood isn't a popular concept, but don't let the world define who God 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 Our passage from Isaiah today comes near the end of his book, as the prophet reminds God's people that He will always be faithful to His covenant people. The chapter has a very eschatological feel to it - this big word simply means it speaks of the future and God's final triumph. It's the shift that occurs in v8 that draws our attention today. There Isaiah goes from referring to God as a detached, all powerful moral governor who will judge all the world to realizing that this omnipotent divine being has an eminently personal relationship with us: He's our Father. This is how we're introduced to the Triune (three in one) God in the opening words of the Bible as well, as the entire cosmos springs into being at the very sound of His voice. Yet at the very end of that creative process, God stoops down to make something in a very different manner: The Father shapes his son Adam out of the clay and then gently breathes life into him. Isaiah puts this so beautifully in v8: Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. Dig Deeper Many Christians in our egalitarian society seek to diminish God's role as our Father. After all, the Bible also refers to God using motherly descriptions as well (Isaiah 66:13)! Since God is neither male nor female, why should we continually refer to Him in masculine, patriarchal terms like Father? The answer is quite simple. You are to think of God as your Father because that's how He most often reveals Himself in His Word, and no one in scripture speaks of Him this way more than His only begotten Son, Jesus. It's true that the concept of fatherhood conjures up difficult memories for many who had abusive, negligent, or absent earthly fathers. As we walk patiently beside such hurting people, it's good to be reminded of what the great Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck taught: "'Father' is not a metaphor derived from earth and attributed to God." In other words, God sometimes uses earthly images to help us understand Him, like when the Bible speaks of His powerful right arm. But the idea of God's fatherhood travels the opposite direction: it's a heavenly concept that defines how fathers on earth must fulfill their calling. No matter what your experience with fatherhood in this world has been, know that the originator of the concept guides, guards and protects you as the perfect Father. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Understanding what it means that God is our Father gives new insight into the simple way Jesus taught us to acknowledge God: As Our Father who is in heaven; His name is Holy. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God that you are the work of His hand. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 20