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 94:1-3 The Lord is a God who avenges. O God who avenges, shine forth.
Rise up, Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve.
How long, Lord, will the wicked, how long will the wicked be jubilant?
Read the entire Psalm
God is a God who Judges. He judges perfectly. Evil and wickedness have not been ignored and will not be ignored. Thank God for His justice. Pray for justice to come. Ask God to guide you in fearing Him as the Judge of the earth.
Scripture Reading
1 Peter 1:13-25 – English Standard Version
13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for
“All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
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 Youth Horizons. Ask God to use the Sun Run this Saturday to raise awareness and funds for Youth Horizons.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
What thoughts have you become “drunk” with? They may very well be good thoughts about good things: maybe a vacation, a purchase, some physical pleasure, or the approval of others. These things in themselves are not wrong, but if we allow them to dominate and fill our minds, we can become drunk or disorientated. Soon these good thoughts can crowd out the best thoughts that should be shaping our lives. It is certainly not wrong to think about some temporary gift of God. But if these thoughts of merely temporary things leave no room for eternal things, we are not going to live a spiritually thriving life. When the temporal overpowers the eternal in our thinking, we can become susceptible to anxiety, fear, greed, guilt, selfishness, or any number of negative emotions. The temporal is not enough to sustain us; we must live on a mental diet of the eternal.
Application: What good thing have you allowed to crowd out the best thing? What can you do to find balance in your thinking?