Reading With the People of God #13 Nicene Creed预览

Focus of the month: Nicene Creed

We believe in one God,

the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,

the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father [and the Son],
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Do you have any idols in your closet?

Both 2 Kings 15:1-22 and Matthew 19:13-30 highlight matters of the heart. Many kings in 2 Kings 15 obeyed God to some extent but not completely. They failed to remove the high places, allowing idolatry to persist. This partial commitment led to eventual downfall. The choices of the kings affected not only themselves and their people but generations to come.

In Matthew 19:13-30, Jesus interacts with a young man who outwardly follows God’s commands but clings to his wealth instead of fully surrendering to God’s kingdom. He wanted to follow Jesus and even went as far as to ask what he needed to do, but when he was told living a life of complete devotion would require him to give up his riches and literally go and follow Jesus, he couldn’t do it. He could not see that by giving up his earthly possessions, he would be gaining eternal rewards. It says he walked away grieving...he could not attain that complete joy that comes with following Jesus because he couldn't let it go. He wouldn't deny himself and take up the cross to follow Jesus. As we read this, it may be easy to think I would never do that! BUT! Don’t we?

As you go about your day or even week, think about those things that you think you cannot live without or may get in the way of your walk with Jesus. The thing that you know you shouldn’t be doing, or the thing you have that consumes so much of your life. There are things we put in "high places" that we need to tear down. The fact that he had wealth wasn’t bad…the issue was that he would not surrender it to God. He was holding on to what he could tangibly feel instead of surrendering to the Most High Creator. God requires complete surrender and trust.I encourage you to examine your heart and see what is hidden in that closet…what are you holding onto… Ask the Lord to show you, and as you go about your day, walk in complete surrender to Him. How far are you willing to go for the Kingdom?

* Primer contributed by Kristin Price, Wife, Mom of boys, Seeker of Knowledge and Truth, and Member of Cornerstone for 20 years!