ADORATION – Reflect on God’s Greatness
God is Glorious Scripture presents God’s glory in two major ways. In one sense, God’s glory isn’t an attribute, but the superlative honor that everything in the universe should give to God (Isaiah 43:7, Romans 3:23, John 17:5).
But God’s “glory” also describes the bright light that surrounds his presence. It belongs to him alone and it’s the outward expression of his excellence. We see this glory in several places in Scripture. For example:
- When the angel of the Lord appears to the shepherds (Luke 2:9)
- The transfiguration (Matthew 17:2)
- The heavenly city in Revelation (Revelation 21:23)
Praise God because He is Glorious
Praise be to His glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen. Psalm 72:19
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 River Youth. Ask God to use youth leaders to encourage and help youth grow in their love for Christ.
SCRIPTURE READING:
James 3:1-12 – Christian Standard Bible
Controlling the Tongue
3 Not many should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we will receive a stricter judgment. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is mature, able also to control the whole body. 3 Now if we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we direct their whole bodies. 4 And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how a small fire sets ablaze a large forest. 6 And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among our members. It stains the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 Every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and fish is tamed and has been tamed by humankind, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in God’s likeness. 10 Blessing and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way. 11 Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
What is your plan for this year regarding your words? Remember that words flow from hearts, so the same question could be: what is your plan this year regarding your heart? Words indicate what is in our hearts. What is in our hearts will show up in our words. Perhaps you have lost hope in becoming significantly different in words and heart, and so you are not optimistic about change happening this year. I am not asking you to be optimistic or to hope in your ability to change. I challenge you to hope in God. Whether you feel optimistic or not is beside the point. The point is that we must trust God and seek to honor him. His is honored when we seek to obey him. He is honored when we have hope that we will become more like him in time. We all get frustrated with our lack of progress, or at least with the lack of speed in our progress, but we cannot lose hope and heart. God is honored by our faithfulness. Faithfulness requires entering each new year and each new day with a commitment to trust and obey anew. What has happened in your life is past tense. God is not bound by your past failures, and neither are you. Hope in God. Believe that your tongue will be a tool in the master’s hand this year to produce beauty and joy in your life and in the lives of others.