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Acts 1:21-26 Replacing Judas Iscariot - Day 1

 Good morning friends,

Welcome to the first month of the challenge that started on 9/1/20.  We didn't have the blog up and running then, but I thought it was appropriate to have the whole year's devotions available for anyone who wants to use the M'Cheyne plan in the future.

A word on the format I started with.  I had given a sermon on the Lord's Prayer and had read Luther's "A simple way to pray".  He gave the 4 strands model.  

Instructional or text book - what does God expect from me. 

Thanksgiving or hymnal - what does passage teach me about God

Confessional - where do I fall short of God's expectations.  

 Prayer book - using the passage as a guide to prayer in the 6 petitions of Lord's Prayer

So I tried to use this model in devotionals and found it to be very helpful.

Blessings,

Jeff

Two equally qualified men for 1 position. In a world guided by scripture,only one can be selected. Today, we would probably say take them both and either ignore or reinterpret the limitation. And if no one could be found, just get along with what we have. 

Instruction - Scripture always applies. When it is inconvenient or somewhat obscure, it still applies.  For Peter to use these two Psalms is surprising. Maybe hanging around Jesus and seeing His knowledge of psalms, or being a good Jewish boy, or it was the Holy Spirit.  It is one thing to know the psalms, but seeing application of a couple of lines in rather long psalms to the apostles is something else. 

When God inspired David to write these two psalms during difficult times, he was thinking about enemies he knew. But God had something else in mind. Judas' betrayal was part of the plan. 

Thanksgiving - reality of all things for Your glory and my good. The objective truth of these events.   Footnoting the choice of Matthias with detail based in psalms. 

Confession - expecting faith to be sight at all times. But who hopes for what he sees?  Harboring discontent about the way things are. Practical denial of contentment with godliness is great gain. 

Prayer

Hallowed - the group of readers would give glory to You as the Word does its work in them

Kingdom - in the details of children's ministry. As Peter lead to a prayerful decision, so would I. 

Daily - supply all the needs of saints according to Your riches in glory. You are not a stingy kill joy. 

Forgive -  not taking sin seriously. Sin really is deceitful. Old man (Adamic nature) is dead. The flesh is not. 

Deliver - willful ignorance and/or disregard. Pragmatic is not reason to violate scripture.

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