ADORATION – Reflect on God’s Greatness
GOD IS THE LIFE GIVER
All of life was and is created by God and is dependent on Him.
Acts 17:24-25 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Praise God – The Giver of Life
Praise God for the life He has given you. Praise God because He has given every person life. Praise God that He sustains all of life.
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 Youth Horizons. Ask God to use their ministry to help children and their families lead responsible healthy lives. Ask God to use their ministry to introduce children and their families to Christ.
SCRIPTURE READING:
James 1:1-8 – English Standard Version
Greeting
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
Greetings.
Testing of Your Faith
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
When Jesus went to the cross for the “joy set before him” what exactly was that joy? The writer of Hebrews doesn’t specify, but we can easily conclude that the joy set before him was “doing his Father’s will” and very likely the joy of bringing us into “relationship with God.” Those two things, of course, go hand in hand. It was his Father’s will that by his death we would be saved. Jesus endured the cross and scorned its shame for joy. There is a clue here for us as to how we are to think about James’ imperative to “count it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds.” We are not to waste energy trying to “like” trials. We are to consider it pure joy when we face trials BECAUSE of what these trials can lead to in our lives. We tend to move through life trying desperately to avoid trials of all kinds and holding our breath waiting for trials to end when they come. This is normal. But if we live our lives essentially with a “trial avoidance” perspective we are going to be perpetually anxious and fearful. We are also going to be disappointed because we cannot avoid all trials; they are going to come. What we can do is begin to reframe our thinking regarding trials. Not that we would learn to love them, but that we would learn to love what God does through every circumstance of our lives if we respond to him with faith expressed in faithfulness. Whether we suffer with trials is largely “left column,” but how we respond is completely “right column.” Take some time now to begin to “count it pure joy” whatever is happening in your life now. Not that you are thankful for bad things, but that you can move towards joy for God’s purposes in all things.