Hearing God’s Voice from His Word
James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
Take a moment and turn your attention to God. Tell God that you desire to trust and obey Him. Ask God to speak to you from His word.
Psalm of the Day
Psalm 104:1-4 Praise the Lord, my soul. Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.
Read the entire Psalm
Praise the Lord because He cannot be contained. He is truly great and no being compares with Him. The whole universe is like His dwelling. Nature is His servant. Praise the Lord because He is very great.
Scripture Reading
1 Peter 1:3-9 – English Standard Version
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Having God’s Ear through Prayer
- Give thanks to God for His gifts and His goodness.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal sin to you.
- Confess your sin to Him and receive forgiveness.
(1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sin He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins.”) - Bring your personal requests to God.
(Psalm 62:8 “Pour out your heart before God”) - Pray for someone in your small group.
- Join with others from River and pray for the Christian Association of Youth Mentors (CAYM). Ask God to use Donnovan and his team to train organizations to be effective in mentoring youth at-risk.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
Is praising God a reflex for you? We have all developed many reflexes over the years. We can find ourselves doing many things throughout the day automatically, without thinking or actively choosing. That’s why you can wonder, “Did I brush my teeth?” How could you not know? It involves sights and sounds and smells and feelings. We can’t remember because we did it automatically; it was a trained reflex. So, again I ask, have you made praising God a reflex? It is something that should become automated in our lives. Not as in we forget that we do it, but rather in that we do it as a first response. Perhaps fear, or complaint, or anger is a first response to unpleasant things in your life. We simply must put praise of God in that first response position. How do you automate praise of God? Practice. Practice may not make perfect, but it does make permanent. Choose to give praise to God in everything. Make praise a reflex.