ADORATION – Reflect on God’s Greatness
GOD IS OMNISCIENT
God is all-knowing. God’s knowledge encompasses every possible thing that exists, has ever existed, or will ever exist. Nothing is a mystery to Him.
Psalm 139:1-6
Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up;
you understand my thoughts from far away. You observe my travels and my rest; you are aware of all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you know all about it, Lord. You have encircled me; you have placed your hand on me. This wondrous knowledge is beyond me. It is lofty; I am unable to reach it.
PRAISE THE OMNISCIENT GOD
Praise is for you. It is directed to God but it is for you to remind you of who God is. Praise Him because he is all-knowing. Take comfort in the reality that God knows every detail of your life. He knows without trying. He knows because he is omniscient.
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 Youth Horizons. Ask God to help the staff as they serve the boys at the ranch.
- Ask God to speak to you as you read the scriptures.
SCRIPTURE READING:
2 Corinthians 13 English Standard Version
This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 2 I warned those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not spare them— 3 since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. 4 For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God.
5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 6 I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. 7 But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. 8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. 10 For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.
Final Greetings
11 Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another,[b] agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All the saints greet you.
14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
So how often should you examine yourself to see if you are “in the faith?” Do we need some kind of annual or semi-annual “faith checkup?” And what does it mean to “fail the test?” This is not about continually doubting whether you are a Christian. It certainly is not about consulting how you feel about yourself or God in order to determine whether you are a genuine Christian or not. In the context Paul is saying “Instead of you examining me, you should be examining yourselves.” They were the ones who have held to beliefs, values, and behaviors that did not represent Christ and the gospel. “Failing the test” would be to continue to live, even after knowing better, outside the will and ways of Christ. He is finishing with a challenge for them to live what they say they believe. Sometimes people have genuine doubts as to whether they are truly followers of Christ. These doubts follow either a faulty belief, a misshapen value, or some behavior that is out of bounds. If we believe we must earn our salvation then we will live in perpetual doubt. On the other hand if we believe that it doesn’t matter what we do, God is okay with it since we belong to him…then we will likewise find ourselves in seasons of doubt. If we wrap our hearts around the things of the world, valuing what is not really valuable, then we may find ourselves troubled as to whether we actually belong to Christ or not. If we do the things that clearly God doesn’t want us to do, then we will live with ongoing doubts regarding our relationship with Christ. God, our Father, doesn’t want his kids to doubt their relationship with him. But what we believe, value, and do…matters to God, and it must matter to us as well. He wants us secure in him, but to be secure in him means to embrace and live in the truth.