ADORATION – Reflect on God’s Greatness
GOD IS SOVEREIGN
God presides over every event, great or small, and He is in control of our lives. To be sovereign, He must be all-knowing and all-powerful, and by His sovereignty He rules His entire creation. 1 Chronicles 29:11-13
1 Chronicles 29:11-13
Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.
Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.
Praise God that He is Sovereign
Praise God because He has presided over every event in your life. Praise Him because He is in control of everything that will happen today in the life of every person on earth. Praise Him because He has always been sovereign for every person for all of time.
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 again for Christian Challenge. Ask God to bear fruit in the lives of students this semester. Pray that students who do not know Christ would turn to Him.
SCRIPTURE READING:
James 3:13-18 – Christian Standard Bible
The Wisdom from Above
13 Who among you is wise and understanding? By his good conduct he should show that his works are done in the gentleness that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and deny the truth. 15 Such wisdom does not come down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without pretense. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
James wrote that if anyone lacks wisdom they should ask God and he will give it to them. How would you define wisdom? How does James define it? Wisdom is not just having good information, it is living a good life. A good life is a life lived loving God and others. When we ask for wisdom, we tend to believe we are asking God to provide data points for decision making. Wisdom does impact decisions, but it is so much more. Wisdom is revealed in how we respond to trials and temptations. Wisdom is revealed in how we treat others. Wisdom is revealed in how we deal with money. Wisdom is revealed in the words that come from our mouths. Wisdom is a life being transformed into the image of Christ. We lack wisdom when we are falling short of who God has made us to be. To ask God for wisdom is to ask him to do whatever needs to done to make us more like Christ. By all means ask God for wisdom, but be sure and take wisdom as he intends to give it. It’s not just an information transfer from his mind to yours. It is life transformation from your life as it currently is to the life that he wants for you, a life that is more and more like Christ.