ADORATION – Reflect on God’s Greatness
GOD IS PERFECT God completely possesses all excellent qualities. Additionally, there’s no quality of excellence that he does not have. He is “complete” or “perfect” in every way.
Jesus tells us, “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). And David says of God, “His way is perfect” (Psalm 18:30).
Praise God that He is Perfect
Praise God that he is complete in his perfection. Praise God that he is excellent in every way. Nothing or no one is more excellent than God. Praise God that his plan for salvation is perfect. His actions are perfect.
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 the lost. Ask God to give you opportunity to have gospel conversations with those who do not know him.
SCRIPTURE READING:
Ephesians 4:1-16 New Living Translation
Unity in the Body
Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.
5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all,
who is over all, in all, and living through all.
7 However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. 8 That is why the Scriptures say,
“When he ascended to the heights,
he led a crowd of captives
and gave gifts to his people.”
9 Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. 10 And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.
11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
What does it “take” to enter the kingdom of God? If you ask some people, they would tell you it takes years of concerted effort. Others would say it requires extensive theological knowledge. If you were to ask the thief on the cross, he would tell you it takes faith in the promise of Christ. That being said, the question of what it takes to “mature” in your faith is a very different matter indeed. To mature in your faith does require years of concerted effort. It does take growth in theological knowledge. You do not have to become perfect in either action or knowledge, that is not going to happen. But to mature spiritually, just like physical maturity, requires that we grow. God has given the church people with the gifts to help us grow to maturity. God has given the church the truth of who He is and what he wants. God has given the church the power to grow up in their faith. God has given us the resources to become mature…His Word, His Spirit, and His people. Give thanks to God for giving us all we need to grow to maturity in Christ. Embrace those resources more fully in your life.