ADORATION – Reflect on God’s Greatness
SPIRITUAL God isn’t made of matter, has no parts or dimensions, cannot be perceived by our bodily senses, and is more excellent than any other kind of existence. He doesn’t have a physical body, nor is he merely energy, thought, or some other element of creation. God is spirit.
John 4:24 God is spirit, and the people who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.
Praise God that He is Spirit
Praise God that He is alive. Praise Him that He is personal. Praise Him that He is more than a force or energy. Praise Him that He has revealed Himself to us.
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 Isaac and Suzanne. Ask God to give them strength to serve faithfully at Black Forest Academy and to encourage them in their work.
SCRIPTURE READING:
Deuteronomy 6:1-9, 20-25
Love the Lord Your God
6 These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. 3 Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
20 In the future, when your son asks you, “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?” 21 tell him: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 Before our eyes the Lord sent signs and wonders—great and terrible—on Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. 23 But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land he promised on oath to our ancestors. 24 The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. 25 And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.”
Colossians 1:28-29
28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. 29 To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.
Ephesians 4:15
15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.
1 Timothy 3:15
15 if I am delayed, 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.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
Theology is for everyone. Simply put, theology is the study of God. It’s not the study of abstract theory. It is the study of relationship. Think of your spouse, a family member, or a close friend. To truly know them requires study, but it is the study of relationship. Theology, rightly understood, is not primarily about information, it is about formation. The end goal of theology ought to be knowing and loving God and making God’s known love to others. This leads to humility, love, and service. Of making many books, there is no end (Ecc 12:12). Reading books is not bad; but too often book study of God can become an end in itself rather than a means to an end. Book study of God is good; indeed, it is a great gift to learn more about the unfathomable and inexhaustible richness in the life of God. However, the purpose of this gift is to apply that knowledge in love, humility, and service. Thank God for revealing the knowledge of himself to you. How can you use that knowledge of him to serve others and make him known?