ADORATION – Reflect on God’s Greatness
GOD IS SELF-SUFFICIENT God has no needs, cannot improve and does not change. We, on the other hand, as created beings rely completely on God for our every breath.
1 Corinthians 4:7
For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
Acts 17:24-25 The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.
Praise God for His Self Sufficiency
Reflect on God’s self-sufficiency by considering your own dependence. Make a list of all the things you have that you did not receive. You can’t. Everything you have (food, strength, oxygen, consciousness, personality, relationships…) all come from God. You need God, but he is fully self satisfied and self-sufficient. Speak words of praise to him because he is self-sufficient.
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 children in foster care. Ask God to provide a forever home for these children in need of a family.
SCRIPTURE READING:
James 5:12-20 – Christian Standard Bible
12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “yes” mean “yes,” and your “no” mean “no,” so that you won’t fall under judgment.
13 Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises. 14 Is anyone among you sick? He should call for the elders of the church, and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 The prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up; if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect. 17 Elijah was a human being as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the land. 18 Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land produced its fruit.
19 My brothers and sisters, if any among you strays from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let that person know that whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
Is a brother or sister in your church family your responsibility? It is a tricky question because it depends on what you mean by “responsibility.” If it means that you are responsible for their choices or their salvation, then “no.” If it means that you must be faithful to love, serve, and care for them as best you can, then the answer is “yes.” Over and over James has been steadily tossing challenges out to the church. The challenge has been for them to align their beliefs and behaviors. Now he is challenging them to call one another to this crucial heart and habits alignment. We must not think we can leave encouragement, challenge, even rebuke to the “professionals,” because we are all in this together. Truth doesn’t always feel like grace to others, but when spoken in love for the good of others and the glory of God, then it always is. We must see others as our responsibility to love and to lead as God gives us the opportunity to do so. We must not think we can direct or manipulate people towards change, but we must be faithful to demonstrate and communicate a Christ honoring life to others. For this to be effective, we must have first earned their trust. This trust comes through relationship built over time. When we have done the work to earn trust, then we are positioned to help people when they most need our help… especially when that help comes in the form of correction.