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 21:1-7 The king rejoices in your strength, Lord. How great is his joy in the victories you give! 2 You have granted him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. 3 You came to greet him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head. 4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him— length of days, for ever and ever. 5 Through the victories you gave, his glory is great; you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty. 6 Surely you have granted him unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence. 7 For the king trusts in the Lord; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken.
Read the Entire Psalm
The Lord Blesses the King. Look at all the ways the Lord blesses the King. The Lord grants his requests, gives him life, victories, and makes him glad. What are other ways that the Lord blesses the king? Now look to verse seven. What gives the King confidence? Armies? Wealth? Land? Fortress? The king is not shaken because of the Lord’s unfailing love. Praise God for His faithful love.
SCRIPTURE READING:
1 Peter 4:1-11 – New Living Translation
4 So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. 2 You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God. 3 You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.
4 Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you. 5 But remember that they will have to face God, who stands ready to judge everyone, both the living and the dead. 6 That is why the Good News was preached to those who are now dead—so although they were destined to die like all people, they now live forever with God in the Spirit.
7 The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. 8 Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.
10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 11 Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.
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
Are you confused about what the Bible means by “last days” or “the end?” It could be that you think the Bible writers were wrong in some ways. I mean they thought the end was near, and here we are 2000 years later. The writers did think the return of Christ was imminent, because it was and it is. All time since the coming of Christ is the “end” or the “last days.” The end of all things is the return of Christ; nothing else in God’s great plan needs to happen before then. We are to live with the end in mind, not in order to live with fear or apathy, but to live with great intentionality. Since the end is at hand, we are to be self-controlled, sober-minded and love each other earnestly. We can be lulled into a state of passivity. We can think the sun will always rise and set. The world will go on as it always has. We can even be fooled into thinking we will always have another day to see the sun rise and set. The cosmos is on a timer. So is your life. Since this is true…be faithful! Control yourself for the glory of God and the good of others. Take thoughts captive so you can pursue God. Let others into your heart and home. The end is at hand…so live faithfully today.