ADORATION – Reflect on God’s Greatness
Jesus is Supreme. Read the passage below and reflect on the Supremacy of Jesus. Reflect on who He is and what he has done.
Colossians 1:15-20
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
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 Austin and Jenni and their family as they serve overseas.
SCRIPTURE READING:
Colossians 3:1-17 New International Version
Living as Those Made Alive in Christ
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
What is sin? Some would say it is a social construct. What is “sinful” changes with time and place. What was sinful in 1950 is not now. What is sinful in China is not in America. Sin, as used in the New Testament is a word that means to “miss the mark.” If you take an archery target with a bullseye in the middle and travel around the world and ask people everywhere, “what is the goal?” they would all indicate the answer is “a bullseye.” If you took that target backwards or forward in time and asked people of different centuries the same question you would get the same answer. Sin is to miss the mark of what makes for a thriving life. It is to miss the mark on how the world actually works. It is to miss the mark on the character of God. A focus on sin is not the point of the Bible or the gospel. Certainly, a recognition of the reality of our sin is the starting point but it is not THE point. The point is not the problem of humanity but the solution for humanity. Christ has borne our sin on the cross. Though we miss the mark, he hasn’t. Now, his “perfect score” can become ours. But this is no game, this is our lives. We must deal decisively with the sin patterns in our lives. We must not “pamper” ourselves with regard to sin. Sin is a destructive force that need not, must not have its way with us. It is under the judgment of God. We must likewise pass judgment on it as well. But remember, as a Christian, it is the sin, not the sinner that is under God’s judgment.