ADORATION – Reflect on God’s Greatness
GOD IS ETERNAL God has always existed. God does not have a beginning. He will have no end.
Isaiah 40:28
Have you never heard? Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
Praise the God who is Eternal
Before time began, God existed. Before the mountains stood, God was present. Leaders, celebrities, fashion, and technology all come and go but God will always be. Praise God because He always has been and He will be forever.
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 conflict in Ukraine. Pray the fighting would cease. Pray for believers in Ukraine ask God to strengthen them and use them.
SCRIPTURE READING:
1 Timothy 3:1-16 – Christian Standard Bible
Qualifications for Overseers and Deacons
3 This saying is trustworthy: “If anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble work.” 2 An overseer, therefore, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not an excessive drinker, not a bully but gentle, not quarrelsome, not greedy. 4 He must manage his own household competently and have his children under control with all dignity. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of God’s church?) 6 He must not be a new convert, or he might become conceited and incur the same condemnation as the devil. 7 Furthermore, he must have a good reputation among outsiders, so that he does not fall into disgrace and the devil’s trap.
8 Deacons, likewise, should be worthy of respect, not hypocritical, not drinking a lot of wine, not greedy for money, 9 holding the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 They must also be tested first; if they prove blameless, then they can serve as deacons. 11 Wives, likewise, should be worthy of respect, not slanderers, self-controlled, faithful in everything. 12 Deacons are to be husbands of one wife, managing their children and their own households competently. 13 For those who have served well as deacons acquire a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
The Mystery of Godliness
14 I write these things to you, hoping to come to you soon. 15 But if I should be delayed, I have written so that you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. 16 And most certainly, the mystery of godliness is great:
He was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated in the Spirit,
seen by angels,
preached among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
Friends, this week, we’ve looked at and thought about the implications of the godly character traits listed in chapter 3. We understand that leadership within the church is a noble and respectable position that requires nobility in character. We know that God holds these traits in high regard. But this idea of godly character doesn’t stop with leaders. Paul called all of us to live exemplary lives as he wrote of the high-value God places on the church and the close relationship it has with Christ. The question for us is this: will we step up to the challenge? It starts by deciding, settling the issue of who and what you are going to live for. Decide to live for God. Make it your ambition to abide in Christ. Connect with him… let him be the source of your life. Depend on him. Let the sap of his grace flow through you and grow you into his likeness. Determine to walk faithfully with Jesus.