ADORATION – Reflect on God’s Greatness
GOD IS MERCY, GRACE, AND PATIENCE
God’s mercy, patience, and grace may be seen as three separate attributes, or as specific aspects of God’s goodness. These three characteristics of God’s nature are often mentioned together, especially in the Old Testament. When God declared his name to Moses, he proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:6). David says in Psalm 103:8, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”
Praise the God who is Merciful, Gracious and Patient
Think for just a moment about mercy. God has not given you what you deserve. Consider saving grace for a moment. God has given you what you could never earn, salvation and freedom from sin. Think now about God’s patience. He waited for you to repent. He is patient now in leading you to become like his son. Praise him and thank him for his mercy, grace and patiences towards you.
CONFESSION: Confess your sins to God and receive his continued mercy.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
THANKSGIVING: Giving thanks to God for his specific blessings in our lives.
“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100
SUPPLICATION: Bringing our requests to God.
- Bring your personal prayer requests to God.
- Pray for River Youth as they leave for Lawrence tomorrow. Ask God to use their service to Rock Hill for his glory.
- Ask God to give you strength to be faithful as his ambassador today.
SCRIPTURE READING:
2 Corinthians 10 Christian Standard Bible
Paul’s Apostolic Authority
10 Now I, Paul, myself, appeal to you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble among you in person but bold toward you when absent. 2 I beg you that when I am present I will not need to be bold with the confidence by which I plan to challenge certain people who think we are living according to the flesh. 3 For although we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh, 4 since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments 5 and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ. 6 And we are ready to punish any disobedience, once your obedience is complete.
7 Look at what is obvious. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, let him remind himself of this: Just as he belongs to Christ, so do we. 8 For if I boast a little too much about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for tearing you down, I will not be put to shame. 9 I don’t want to seem as though I am trying to terrify you with my letters. 10 For it is said, “His letters are weighty and powerful, but his physical presence is weak and his public speaking amounts to nothing.” 11 Let such a person consider this: What we are in our letters, when we are absent, we will also be in our actions when we are present.
12 For we don’t dare classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. But in measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves to themselves, they lack understanding. 13 We, however, will not boast beyond measure but according to the measure of the area of ministry that God has assigned to us, which reaches even to you. 14 For we are not overextending ourselves, as if we had not reached you, since we have come to you with the gospel of Christ. 15 We are not boasting beyond measure about other people’s labors. On the contrary, we have the hope that as your faith increases, our area of ministry will be greatly enlarged, 16 so that we may preach the gospel to the regions beyond you without boasting about what has already been done in someone else’s area of ministry. 17 So let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. 18 For it is not the one commending himself who is approved, but the one the Lord commends.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
17 So let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord., 18 For it is not the one commending himself who is approved, but the one the Lord commends.
He summarizes what he’s been saying by quoting from Jeremiah 9:23-24.
23 This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, 24 but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.
The root of the division between Paul and his opponents can be summed up in this question: “Whose approval do we seek?” When properly considered against the truth of Scripture, the question cuts right through many moral dilemmas we face and it can reorient us to pleasing God. I think if we’re honest with ourselves, we’d say that we find ourselves operating out of our own strength more than we’d like to admit. I know I do at times. Oh, I’ve gotten better at engaging the spiritual battles in my own life and employing those divine weapons, but there’s still room for improvement. I thank God for His grace and mercy in my life. For not giving up on me when I fail and fall short. I’m grateful that I can continually go back and ask Him to build in me a heart that’s satisfied just with glorying in Him. And I know I won’t do it perfectly, but by His grace and mercy, I will continue to grow in my pursuit of Christlikeness. My prayer is this would be true for you as well.