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 49:6-10 Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me—
6 those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches?
7 No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them—
8 the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough—
9 so that they should live on forever and not see decay.
10 For all can see that the wise die, that the foolish and the senseless also perish, leaving their wealth to others.
Read the entire Psalm
Think of how this Psalm points to Jesus. “No one can redeem the life of another.” Christ is our only redeemer. Rich trust in their wealth and boast of riches but in the end their wealth will not save them. Praise God that only He can redeem us. Ask God to redeem those who do not know him.
SCRIPTURE READING:
1 Peter 1:10-11 – New Living Translation
10 This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. 11 They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward.
1 Peter 1:24-25 – New Living Translation
24 As the Scriptures say,
“People are like grass;
their beauty is like a flower in the field.
The grass withers and the flower fades.
25 But the word of the Lord remains forever.”
And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.
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 who do not know God. Ask God to help you see the lost people around you and have compassion for them. Ask God for opportunities to build trust. Ask God to give you opportunity to have gospel conversations.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
‘”All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.’ And this is the word that was preached to you.”
1 Peter 1:24-25
God’s words are eternal because they come from his perfect, unchanging mind. Our words are imperfect because they come from our ever-changing minds. We can say things that are not true or things that may be true now but not at a later time. Grass dies, dries up and flows away. Flowers die and fade away. There is a certain “glory” in a field of thriving green grass or in a garden of beautiful flowers, but that glory is temporary and soon fading. The “glory” of mankind includes our wisdom, our power, and our ability to create from what God has already made. This glory is temporary and infinitely less than the glory of God. His glory is absolute. He is all wise, all powerful, and he alone can create from nothing. We simply must train ourselves to see our thoughts in comparison to the perfect thoughts of God. When we understand that his thoughts are perfect, then we are positioned to believe that his word is perfect.
Application: Spend some time reflecting on the reality and implications of this passage.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8,9