ADORATION – Reflect on God’s Greatness
Jesus is OUR INTERCESSOR Knowing our temptations, God the Son intercedes for us. He opens the doors for us to boldly ask God the Father for mercy. Thus, God is both the initiation and conclusion of true prayer. Hebrews 4:14-16
Hebrews 4:14-16
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Praise Jesus for Interceding
Praise Jesus that He knows your temptation. Praise Him for taking on flesh and experiencing human weakness. Praise Him that even though tempted,He did not sin. Praise Him for making a way for being a help in time of need.
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 Heart of KS Southern Baptist Association. River is part of this association of churches. This association helps to plant new churches and strengthen existing churches. Pray that this association would be strengthened and used for God’s glory to strengthen churches and start new churches.
SCRIPTURE READING:
Hebrews 13:1-13 – English Standard Version
Sacrifices Pleasing to God
Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 3 Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. 4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. 5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”
7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 9 Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. 10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. 12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. 13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.” 6 So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
What purity in marriage sexuality and freedom from the love of money have in common is this…contentment. People “wander” in their marriage because of discontent. It is not because there is a better, prettier, more handsome, nicer, man or woman out there somewhere. This may or may not be true, but what is true is that if you are married, God has given you the spouse you have. Contentment is never about externals, it is always about our own internal orientation towards God. Are we going to choose to be grateful for what he has provided? Will I see what he has given to me as good and enough? If you really believe you would find it easier to be content if you had another relationship or more money, then you have not been paying close attention. Look at your own life and the stories of others around you. When have you ever been driven by unhealthy discontent, gotten what you wanted, and found it to be enough? Never. When have you heard or seen stories of people driven by discontent for whom things turned out well? Never. I say “unhealthy discontent” because there is healthy discontent that causes us to want to improve and grow. Unhealthy discontent is a heart that is ungrateful and demanding. We demand that God give us more or different than he has. Perhaps you don’t struggle with discontent in marriage sexuality or money issues, but try to think about contentment more broadly. Is there another area you have trouble being content in? How would you be helped by focusing more fully on the fact that God has said, “Never will I leave or forsake you?” How can this reality help you become more content?