ADORATION – Reflect on God’s Greatness
GOD DOESN’T NEED CREATION FOR ANY REASON No one can give God anything that he didn’t first give them. God did not create out of need.
Acts 17:24–25 – “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all men life and breath and everything” .
Job 41:11 – God asks Job, “Who has given to me, that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine”.
Praise God that He Does Not Need
Praise him that he created you and he wants you. Praise him that he will never be weak or tired. Praise him that he is self-sufficient. Praise him that he is the source of joy and goodness.
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 your friends who do not know Jesus. Ask God to strengthen your friendships and to give you opportunities for gospel conversations.
SCRIPTURE READING:
Deuteronomy 6:1-9, 20-25 – New Living Translation
A Call for Wholehearted Commitment
6 “These are the commands, decrees, and regulations that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you. You must obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy, 2 and you and your children and grandchildren must fear the Lord your God as long as you live. If you obey all his decrees and commands, you will enjoy a long life. 3 Listen closely, Israel, and be careful to obey. Then all will go well with you, and you will have many children in the land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.
4 “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 8 Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
20 “In the future your children will ask you, ‘What is the meaning of these laws, decrees, and regulations that the Lord our God has commanded us to obey?’
21 “Then you must tell them, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand. 22 The Lord did miraculous signs and wonders before our eyes, dealing terrifying blows against Egypt and Pharaoh and all his people. 23 He brought us out of Egypt so he could give us this land he had sworn to give our ancestors. 24 And the Lord our God commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear him so he can continue to bless us and preserve our lives, as he has done to this day. 25 For we will be counted as righteous when we obey all the commands the Lord our God has given us.’
Colossians 1:28-29
28 So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. 29 That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.
Ephesians 4:15
15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.
1 Timothy 3:15
15 so that if I am delayed, you will know how people must conduct themselves in the household of God. This is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
We live in an age of suspicion. In an age of suspicion, truth matters. God has entrusted the church of the living God with stewarding the truth. In 1 Timothy 3:15, Paul says that the church of the living God is a “pillar and buttress of the truth.” Think of an old gothic cathedral. Flying buttresses function as support that upholds light and beauty. The buttresses hold up tall thin walls full of intricate, beautiful stained-glass windows. Truth is the foundation of love, beauty, and flourishing. Without the truth of God’s Word, we do not have beauty or flourishing. That is one reason why theological education in and for the church is so important. The goal of theological education in the church is not to produce walking encyclopedias—people who know a lot of content but they’re devoid of character. The goal of theological education in the church is to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ (Eph 4:12). When believers know and love God and serve others, it is a beautiful thing. How might God be leading you today to build up the body of Christ?