Being excited about God is good... but make sure your zeal is based on knowledge! Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 19 Q. How do you come to know this? A. The holy gospel tells me. God himself began to reveal the gospel already in Paradise; later, he proclaimed it by the holy patriarchs and prophets, and portrayed it by the sacrifices and other ceremonies of the law; finally, he fulfilled it through his own dear Son. Summary With these words Paul expresses his desire that his fellow Jews would be saved. What Paul sees in many of his brethren is a zeal for keeping to the laws of the Old Testament, but a lack of understanding that adherence to the law does not equate righteousness. No matter how you might try, even your best efforts to establish your own righteousness cannot stand up to God’s perfect standard. It's still important for us to strive to live out the teachings of Jesus, as this is the appropriate response of gratitude to the grace of Jesus. Just as Paul’s concern for the Jews was not their zeal for upholding the law, the real concern is a mindset of upholding adherence to the law as a replacement for the righteousness of Christ. Attempts to be “good enough”, instead of depending upon the grace of Jesus, are nothing more than a flawed attempt to circumvent God’s plan of redemption. As Paul writes, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes”. Christ being the “end of the law” carries with it multiple, non-mutually exclusive meanings. First, this points to Jesus as the purpose or end goal the law was working towards. Secondly, Jesus marks for believers an end to our attempts to pursue righteousness via the law. Dig Deeper Every good story has a climax. If Belle had never gone looking for her father none of us would have heard about Beauty and the Beast. Without that action forward, the story would have remained at a standstill and never reached its exciting climax. While the Bible consists of 66 books written by various authors, it is also the ongoing story of God’s interaction with his creation. God’s handiwork can be seen throughout all of human history, culminating with the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is undoubtedly the climax of human history. There are many reasons to open up your Bible, and chief among them is that you might come to know your faithful savior Jesus Christ. Jesus is what pushes history forward. Without Jesus, the story of humanity would be a standstill as we would still be waiting for our redeemer. Praise God that he has saved you from your misery, that a redeemer has come, just as God had planned from the beginning. Trust not in yourself for righteousness, but in Jesus. As a dear saint would often remind me, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and HE will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Father, you set the standard for righteousness, and you sent your Son that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that God will give you a zeal for Him based on knowledge of His Word. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 14

BibleHub.com 1 Timothy 2:1-7 (NIV) I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3  This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4   Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Article 3 - The Preaching of the Gospel In order

John 14:12-14 (NIV) 12  Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing Summary John 14 is a chapter we've come to often as we read the Bible together. The emphasis gets lost in English, but is super apparent in the Greek words John recorded.

Stand firm in your faith, but work as equals with Christians who disagree. 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 (NIV) 4  For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings Today: John 3

John 16:12-15 (NIV) 12  “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13  But when So much of John's gospel - from chapter 14-17 - is dedicated to what Jesus taught that night. Today: Luke 4

3:16-18 - Simple Beauty 1 John 4:8-10 - This Is Love Psalm 103 - Praise the LORD! ​ ​ Article 4: A Twofold Response to the Gospel John 1:9-13 - The TRUE Light John 3:31-36 - Wrath Removed 3-6 - Before the Foundation Deuteronomy 7:1-10 - Set Apart John 17:1-5 - Sovereign Submission John 17 1-8 - One and the Same Romans 4:9-17 - Chicken or Egg? 2 Timothy 1:7-10 - Passive & Powered Titus 3:3-7 - Transformed Deuteronomy 9:4-6 - You're Not That Awesome

Reorient your thinking about the good things you do. 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 (NIV) 26  Brothers, think Today: 1 Corinthians 1

it only makes sense that true perfection can not be fully attained until both parts are once again joined

Galatians 1:1–10 (NIV) Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the To the churches in Galatia: 3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 

John 14:25–27 (NIV) 25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit Summary A big portion of John's gospel account consists of Jesus speaking to His disciples right before Throughout the ages, many have tried to deny the divinity of both Christ and the Spirit, but John makes We find an example of this in the Gospel of John. John 2:19-22 reads, 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up