ADORATION – Reflect on God’s Greatness
GOD IS OMNISCIENCE – God has all knowledge.
Psalm 147:4 He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.
Matthew 10:29-30 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.
Praise God for His Omniscience
Praise Him because His knowledge is perfect and complete. Praise Him because He sees and knows about every bit of matter and space in the universe. He is aware of sparrows and every human that has ever lived on earth. He knows all about you. Praise Him because the details of your life matter to Him.
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 Jason and Lisa. They will be leaving Wichita soon. Ask God to encourage them and strengthen their family.
SCRIPTURE READING:
James 2:14-26 – New International Version
Faith and Deeds
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
James 2:14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?
What good is a faith that doesn’t change the way you live? Someone could reply, “Well, if it gets me to heaven, what difference does it make if it changes my life now?” What do you think James would say to that? I suspect he would say that a faith that doesn’t change your life now is not a faith that will get you to heaven. What is heaven after all other than intimate relationship with God? Heaven is more of God’s presence and holiness and character, not less. If we don’t want to live in line with who God is now, why would we suddenly want to live in a fuller experience of his presence then? James knows that we are saved by faith in Christ. He just wants to make sure we know that only a faith that is changing us into the image of Christ is a faith that saves us.