ADORATION – Reflect on God’s Greatness
GOD IS SOVEREIGN God created everything and therefore all things are under His sovereign control.
Genesis 50:20
You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result—the survival of many people.
Romans 8:28
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Praise the God who is Sovereign
God has a plan. He is not random. He is powerful and works all things according to his plan. Praise him for his plan. Praise Him because ALL THINGS fall under his power and plan.
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 FCA. Ask God to use their work at WSU and Friends to lead student athletes and coaches to walk with Christ.
SCRIPTURE READING:
James 2:14-26 – English Standard Version
Faith Without Works Is Dead
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his 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 what I do.
Some believe that this is a passage about what is called the “social gospel.” This phrase has been used to describe a theological perspective that says the gospel is not about being born again and going to heaven when you die, it is about doing good works in this life. James will have none of that binary fallacy. It is not either/or, it is both/and. Of course the gospel is about being born again and of course the gospel is about doing good works in this life. We often get into trouble when we let go of one side of an important tension. We are saved by faith AND that faith will lead to works of faithfulness. We must not let this turn into earning…thinking our actions bring God’s favor. We must also not allow this to turn into passivity…thinking that since we are saved by grace not works, we are exempt from doing the hard work of training. We must trust as if it all depends on God, because it does. We must train as if it all depends on us, because there is a real sense in which it does. God saves us, but he does not do the work of training for us. One is justification, all God’s work. The other is sanctification, this requires us to work.