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 84:1-4 How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young—a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.
Read the entire Psalm
This is a Psalm about the temple. The place where sacrifice was made continually for the sins of the people. The place where God visited His people. Now Jesus is our perfect sacrifice. One day because of Jesus we will dwell with God. Now we long but this Psalm reminds us we will be satisfied. Let your longing for God draw you near to Him today. He is your King. He is your God.
SCRIPTURE READING:
1 Peter 1:10-12 – Christian Standard Bible
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who prophesied about the grace that would come to you, searched and carefully investigated. 11 They inquired into what time or what circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when he testified in advance to the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you. These things have now been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—angels long to catch a glimpse of these things.
Having God’s Ear through Prayer
- Express thanksgiving to God.
- 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 those in our church who are sick. Ask God to heal their physical bodies. Pray for God’s glory to be revealed in their suffering.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
Something is true, and everything that is not that, is untrue. Everyone believes this. Some consider themselves to be relativists, and so they think that they are open to many things being true, even if those things are mutually contradictory. But this position cannot be sustained. They would consider my position as a non-relativist to be untrue. Therefore, not everything is true. Many consider themselves to only believe that which can be verified by science. The problem is that you cannot verify by science that reality can only be verified by science. Every position a person takes on what is true is ultimately going to be a faith position. New science today becomes old science tomorrow. Faith in science as an absolute is just that: a faith. We believe that God has revealed truth to us in Scripture. This truth does not change, because God does not change. When we read and understand the Scripture in appropriate ways, we will find what we need to make sense out of life as it is. Scripture can be misunderstood and misapplied. Similarly, we can use fire to cook and heat our homes or to kill and destroy. All of God’s good gifts can be used or misused. This is no less true for Scripture. Approach God’s good gift of the Bible with humility and faith and faithfulness. Do not be afraid to do the good, hard work to correctly understand and apply it. Be afraid of not doing that work and thereby missing God’s good path.