ADORATION – Reflect on God’s Greatness
GOD IS FATHER
Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father” (Matthew 6:9), and the Spirit of God taught us to cry, “Abba, Father,” an intimate Aramaic term similar to “Daddy.” The Creator of the universe cares for each one of us.
Romans 8:15-17
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
Praise God the Father
Praise Him because He is a perfect caring Father. Praise Him for His perfect love. Praise Him for His discipline and instruction.
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 Sarah H. Ask God to encourage her and guide her as she serves overseas.
SCRIPTURE READING:
1 Timothy 1 New International Version
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
2 To Timothy my true son in the faith:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Timothy Charged to Oppose False Teachers
3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer 4 or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. 5 The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. 7 They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.
8 We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. 9 We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11 that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
The Lord’s Grace to Paul
12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. 13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
The Charge to Timothy Renewed
18 Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, 19 holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith. 20 Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
Why were people attracted to these teachers and their “myths and endless genealogies?” Why was the simple truth of the gospel and a life of faithfulness not more attractive to them? Maybe we should examine our own hearts and minds. Do you find yourself drawn to a news story that is sensational, or one that is fairly “common”? It’s hard to find the “common” stories because sensational “sells.” On the one hand our hearts are made for God and they do desire the “spectacular;” after all God is quite spectacular. But the problem is when our sinful hearts go looking for the sensational apart from faithfulness to God. We are easily addicted to the abnormal and easily bored by the mundane. “Mundane” originally was a word that meant “of the world.” It later came to be applied to a sense of boredom. The changing seasons of the world can either be “mundane” as in “boring” or they can be “mundane” as in marvelous. The same with the seasons of life or work/rest cycles, or brushing your teeth, or whatever. We are either becoming less content or more content with our lives as they are. It is doubtful we are staying in one place. You can, you must, train your heart to marvel at the mundane. God is in all of it, this is his world. You are in his world. It is mundane and it is marvelous…to be marveled at.