ADORATION – Reflect on God’s Greatness
JESUS IS THE CHURCH’S HEAD God the Son, Jesus, is the head of the Church. As the head, the part of the body that sees, hears, thinks, and decides, He gives the orders that the rest of the body lives by.
Ephesians 1:22-23
And he subjected everything under his feet and appointed him as head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.
Praise Jesus the Head of the Church
Praise Jesus, God in the flesh. Praise Jesus for surrendering his body to save the church. Praise Jesus for his submission to the Father’s will. Praise Jesus that he is alive and still leading his church in the world.
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 our three OneLink teams serving this summer. Ask God to use these students to make the gospel known to others.
SCRIPTURE READING:
Titus 3 – Christian Standard Bible
Christian Living among Outsiders
3 Remind them to submit to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, 2 to slander no one, to avoid fighting, and to be kind, always showing gentleness to all people. 3 For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved by various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, detesting one another.
4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, 5 he saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 6 He poured out his Spirit on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life. 8 This saying is trustworthy. I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed God might be careful to devote themselves to good works. These are good and profitable for everyone. 9 But avoid foolish debates, genealogies, quarrels, and disputes about the law, because they are unprofitable and worthless. 10 Reject a divisive person after a first and second warning. 11 For you know that such a person has gone astray and is sinning; he is self-condemned.
Final Instructions and Closing
12 When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, make every effort to come to me in Nicopolis, because I have decided to spend the winter there. 13 Diligently help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey, so that they will lack nothing.
14 Let our people learn to devote themselves to good works for pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful. 15 All those who are with me send you greetings. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with all of you.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
Where do you find it hard to maintain a balance? Work/life, speaking/listening, passive/active, resting in God’s love/training for godliness? The list could go on and on. What makes balance so difficult is that it requires ongoing corrections. What makes imbalance so difficult is that it will require, at some point, a major correction. Balance requires small ongoing course corrections while imbalance will eventually put us in the “ditch” and require more effort in the end. How do we keep this balance in our lives? Is this one more thing we have to remember? The key to balance is tied into what ought to be a priority for us anyway. We will stay tuned to balance or potential imbalance as we regularly engage with God’s Word, God’s Spirit, and God’s people. No news value here, but daily time of honest reflection on God’s word, and honest reflection in prayer along with regular and honest conversations with other growing Christians is usually all it takes to sustain balance. The operative word in all that is honest. We must pay attention to our own hearts as we go to the Word, prayer, and others. It is super important that we admit to what is true right now, not what we want to be true or what we think others want to be true. We can stay healthy or become healthy but only if we don’t pretend to be other than we are.