Week 28 Day 3
I. Prayer to enter the Lord’s presence:
Be still for a moment. “Lord, I give the day that is now past to you. It is yours. I give the day that is to come to you; help me to see where you are working and to join you there. Speak to me during these moments. I commit them and myself to you.”
II. Prayer of Confession:
“Lord, you are faithful to forgive me and cleanse me of my sin when I confess it to you. I confess my sin(s) of ______________. Thank you for forgiveness.” (1 John 1:9)
III. Prayer of Thanksgiving:
Choose to be thankful, speak out loud of what God has done.
“Thank you, Father, for _________________. Fill my heart and my mouth with gratitude throughout this day.”
IV. Scripture Reflection
Read
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9-10)
Reflect
As we read the teachings of Jesus and other New Testament authors we find that they didn’t discard the idea of nation or even the value of national identity. In fact, they re-framed it and built on it. Although the salvation of God had visibly broken away from the nation of Israel in Christ, God was establishing a new nation; He was doing a new thing.
Jesus ushered into earth a new Kingdom. In that sense, Jesus was a political figure setting up a nation, just not in the way most Jews expected and not in the way some Christians would try to argue. Jesus ushered in an invisible Kingdom. Nevertheless, it is a very real Kingdom; a Kingdom with a clear ethic, a clear agenda, and a clear King who has unimaginable power and expansive territory. The new King, Jesus, is also making for Himself a devoted people, the church. By grace and through faith, in the power of the Holy Spirit, people from every nation can become citizens of His kingdom.
This is the reality of which Peter writes in 1 Peter 2:9-10.
Respond
Respond today by trusting in God’s work to make you His own. Apart from anything you’ve ever done, good or bad, the God of the universe took on human form in Jesus Christ and died on a cross because He wanted you. Yes, you. In so doing, He invited you into a new thing, the church: “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession.” Although you were once estranged and alone, you’ve been brought near into fellowship by the finished work of Christ. He bore your sin on the cross and then strong-armed it for a final victory at the empty tomb. “Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” Praise God and rest now in the identity He has given you. Thank Him.
V. Prayer for others:
Pray specifically for the concerns of your life and the lives of others.
VI. Prayer of commitment:
“Lord God, I commit to love you with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my strength and with all my mind and to love my neighbor as myself. Empower me today to love you and others with everything that I am.” (Luke 10:27)
This Month’s Scripture Memory:
Philippians 4:4-8
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.