ADORATION – Reflect on God’s Greatness
GOD IS JUST God is righteous and holy, fair and equitable in all things. We can trust Him to always do what is right.
Psalm 75:1-3 We thank you, O God! We give thanks because you are near. People everywhere tell of your wonderful deeds.
God says, “At the time I have planned, I will bring justice against the wicked.
When the earth quakes and its people live in turmoil, I am the one who keeps its foundations firm.
PRAISE THE GOD WHO IS JUST
Praise God that He brings justice at the right time. Praise God that He is near and nothing escapes His notice. Praise God that His justice is righteous and holy. His justice is 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 unchurched friends. Ask God to give you opportunities to have gospel conversations with those who do not know Him.
- Pray for those in our church who are sick. Ask God to comfort them and bring healing.
SCRIPTURE READING:
Philippians 3 Christian Standard Bible
Knowing Christ
In addition, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. To write to you again about this is no trouble for me and is a safeguard for you.
2 Watch out for the dogs, watch out for the evil workers, watch out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, the ones who worship by the Spirit of God, boast in Christ Jesus, and do not put confidence in the flesh— 4 although I have reasons for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the law, a Pharisee; 6 regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless.
7 But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ[a]—the righteousness from God based on faith. 10 My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, 11 assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.
Reaching Forward to God’s Goal
12 Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not[b] consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, 14 I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly[c] call in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore, let all of us who are mature think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal this also to you. 16 In any case, we should live up to whatever truth we have attained. 17 Join in imitating me, brothers and sisters, and pay careful attention to those who live according to the example you have in us. 18 For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame; and they are focused on earthly things. 20 Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21 He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject everything to himself.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
Paul used “joy” or “rejoice” 16 times in this short letter. “Rejoice” equals continually “return to joy.” This is his primary strategy for dealing with various threats. Why do you think this is so? What are some opposites of rejoicing in the Lord? Complaining. Bitterness. Ingratitude. Discontent. What about rejoicing in things other than the Lord? Perhaps to rejoice in things other than God is a good definition of idolatry. Trying to find our joy, our meaning, our sense of well-being in things other than God is to make those things priority over God. Since Paul said to rejoice an average of 4 times per chapter in this letter and since this letter is inspired by God and preserved by God through the ages for our well-being then perhaps we should make it our ambition to become more consistent at rejoicing in the Lord. To a degree it doesn’t matter if you “feel” like it. There are plenty of things that are true and valuable that we don’t always feel like doing. As we do what is true regardless of how we feel…we are positioned to be shaped by the truth not by our feelings. Rejoice in the Lord, I say it again, rejoice!