ADORATION – Reflect on God’s Greatness
GOD IS PERSONAL
God is a self-conscious Being capable of thought, will, and interaction with His creation. We can see that God is personal especially as we read the Psalms. In the Psalms, David refers to God as “my shepherd” or “my portion” or “my light.” God is not just a portion or a Shepherd, but God is a personal shepherd to David.
Psalm 16:5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.
Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not be in want.
Praise the Personal God
Praise God that he can relate with you personally. He is infinite and all-powerful, but he can also relate with you. Praise God that he can personally lead you and shepherd 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 Hopes Gate. Ask God to use them as they ministry to women working in night clubs.
- Ask God to speak to you as you read the scriptures.
SCRIPTURE READING:
Philippians 1:1-26 English Standard Version
Greeting
1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
The Advance of the Gospel
12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
To Live Is Christ
Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
In the midst of trial, suffering, and hardship, Paul is able to make his prayer “with joy.” This can sound dissonant or out of tune to our ears because we typically equate joy with trite happiness. But this kind of joy is not what Paul has in mind. In his suffering, Paul’s joy allows room for sorrow and grief. In 2 Corinthians, Paul speaks of “being sorrowful yet always rejoicing.” In Galatians, Paul lists joy as being the fruit (evidence) of the Spirit-filled life. The Spirit, present with Paul in prison, enables him to be characterized by joy. The kind of joy Paul displays is a deep satisfaction in God that transcends his circumstances. The key to Paul’s joy is his perspective. His perspective allows him to see the events of his life as serving to advance the gospel. God is at work in his life in the midst of hardship. God is at work, not only in Paul’s life, but is transforming others’ lives for the kingdom of God. Other believers are also encouraged because of how they see God at work in Paul. Maybe you’re hurting right now, struggling to see where God is at work. If that’s you, it’s okay to hurt. Joy doesn’t mean you have to erase or ignore what’s hurting. But God, in his goodness, has given us his Word, Spirit, and people to help us expand our perspective, to help us find meaning and hope when we can’t see it for ourselves. Paul entrusted his life to the sovereignty of God. He trusted that he was under the sovereign care of the Good Shepherd, the God who is “with us.”