You are not your own. Do you find this comforting, or constricting? Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 1 Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death? A. That I am not my own, but belong— body and soul, in life and in death— to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven: in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Summary Most people would classify life and death as mutually exclusive opposites. You can't be both: you're either dead or alive. Christianity breaks down this division. Certainly there's still a big distinction between being dead and alive, but what the Catechism and the Bible want you to know is that while there's much that will change after you take your last breath, there are some significant things that won't change. First of all, your core identity won't change: So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s (v8b) Just as you belong in body and soul to your faithful Savior Jesus Christ while living, you will belong to Him in death just as you do in life. Second, your primary purpose remains the same as well: if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord (v8a). In other words, you were created and given life so that you could live to/for the Lord by using the gifts and talents you've been given to glorify Him. Although sin has marred God's image and purpose in your life, the gospel proclaims that death - the ultimate result of sin - no longer can keep you from fulfilling your primary purpose. In fact, it's through death that Christians are finally set free from sin and can begin truly living for Jesus. Dig Deeper Human beings are weird. We're full of paradoxes. On one hand, our sinful natures crave independence - especially from God. But on the other, we hate to be alone. Even the most introverted of us needs other people in our lives. That's why the opening words to the Catechism are so comforting: That you are not your own, but you belong. Certainly these words bring comfort to the part of you that needs community, but they also stand as a solemn reminder to your sinful nature that yearns for independence from God's ways, reminding you that you belong to the Lord. As you begin a new year, remember to not just live to yourself (v7), but to live for Christ. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Father in heaven, you are the Lord of life and you have conquered death ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: I pray that in all things, I would live to the Lord (v8) ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Mark 1

Sometimes the truth hurts, but God's truth hurts in order to heal. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 3 Q. How do you come to know your misery? A. The law of God tells me. Summary One of our human tendencies is to lay blame on others while claiming yourself as blameless. These actions are common in children, yet adults are not immune to this either. It is this type of situation to which Paul steps in to give clarification. In these passages Paul argues that the Jewish believers were not in a superior position to the non-Jewish followers of Christ. The crux of his argument is the fact that both are under sin. Paul quotes a series of Old Testament passages from the Psalms, Proverbs, and Isaiah which together show the sinfulness of all mankind. Following this reminder of the sinfulness of all people, Paul points out in v19 that the law, in what we today call the Old Testament, was written to the Jewish people. The words so that every mouth may be stopped come as a reference to court customs of the Jewish people. When someone was done with their defense, they would put their hand over their mouth to signify they were finished speaking in their own defense. Since the law was given to the Jewish people, their mouths are silenced, for there is nothing else they can say in their defense. They were given the law, and Paul was certain to point out that they did not keep the law. In v20, Paul gives the clarification the Jewish people needed to hear: no one can be justified by upkeeping the law. Yes, they had the law, but they were unable to keep it. Instead, the function of the law is the agent through which we come to know our sin. Dig Deeper Learning is a life-long process. Regardless of what kind of diploma one might go on to earn, there is always more to know. Some of this is based upon our own limitations to learn, our inclination to forget, or more information being discovered. There are different ways that we learn, through life experience, a class, or reading a book. When it comes to our sin, which is the source of our misery, the Bible is where we learn the depth of our sinfulness. While it is unpleasant to be confronted with your own sinfulness, this serves an important role in your life. It is through this confrontation with our sin that we come to know the depth of our misery and our need for a savior. Truly, if you had no awareness of your debt of sin, how then could you come to know your need for the grace of Jesus? Praise God for all that He does on our behalf, including giving us the Word of God which makes us aware of our sinful state and need for redemption. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Father in heaven, your name is holy, and your law demands perfect righteousness. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Keep me close to your law, so that I continually recognize my own sinfulness and cling even tighter to the cross of Christ. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Mark 6

God always fulfills His promises at the time set by Him. 1 Chronicles 17:10-14 (NIV) CONTEXT: David is Today: Romans 10

Deuteronomy 7:7-10 (NIV) 7 The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. 10 Make sure, by the profession of your mouth and the belief in your heart (Romans 10:9) that you are in

Exodus 10:21–11:10 (NIV) 21  Then the L ORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so said to Moses, “Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you—so that my wonders may be multiplied in Egypt.” 10 declare the praises of Him who called you out of the darkness and into His wonderful light ( 1 Peter 2:9-10

BibleHub.com Jeremiah 18:1-10 (NIV) 18 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2 “Go down planned. 9 And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, 10 Who Saves Lamentations 3:19-23 - Great Is Thy Faithfulness John 3:16-18 - Simple Beauty 1 John 4:8-10 Rom 10:14-17 - The Power of Preaching 1 Cor 1.23-24 - God's Foolishness Psalm 93 - Mightier Than Chaos Authority & Presence Article 9: Election Not Based on Foreseen Faith John 10:22-30 - Listen Up!

Ezekiel 8-10 (NASB95) 8 It came about in the sixth year, on the fifth day of the sixth month, as I was 10 “But as for Me, My eye will have no pity nor will I spare, but I will bring their conduct upon their heads.” -- 10... 4 Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub to the threshold of the temple

Gospels: Week 4 - Kingdom Teaching and Parables logos.com Luke 15:1–10 (NASB95) 1 Now all the tax collectors 10 “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who Canons of Dordt Point III/IV, Article 10: Conversion as the Work of God The fact that others who are Tax collectors were hated by the people because they worked on behalf of their Roman occupiers to collect In the second parable, the Parable of the Lost Coin, a woman loses one of her ten silver coins.

Leviticus 16:1–10 (NIV) 16 The L ORD  spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died   9   Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the L ORD  and sacrifice it for a sin offering. 10 gave very specific instructions for when and how this meeting could take place (we only read the first 10 Because we've been justified, we not only have peace with God , but we've gained access to Him ( Romans His precious blood, and then took that sin away from you as far as the east is from the west ( Psalm 103

Mark 10:41-45 (NIV) CONTEXT: Two of Jesus' disciples, James and John, had asked Jesus for the honor of Who Saves Lamentations 3:19-23 - Great Is Thy Faithfulness John 3:16-18 - Simple Beauty 1 John 4:8-10 Rom 10:14-17 - The Power of Preaching 1 Cor 1.23-24 - God's Foolishness Psalm 93 - Mightier Than Chaos ​ Article 7: Election Ephesians 1:3-6 - Before the Foundation Deuteronomy 7:1-10 - Set Apart John 17 Authority & Presence Article 9: Election Not Based on Foreseen Faith John 10:22-30 - Listen Up!