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 13:1-6 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long will I store up anxious concerns within me, agony in my mind every day? How long will my enemy dominate me?
3 Consider me and answer, Lord my God. Restore brightness to my eyes; otherwise, I will sleep in death. 4 My enemy will say, “I have triumphed over him,” and my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.
5 But I have trusted in your faithful love; my heart will rejoice in your deliverance. 6 I will sing to the Lord because he has treated me generously.
Psalm of Lament: This Psalm is a short model Psalm of Lament. The Psalmist turns to God, then complains to God, then asks God to intervene, and finally he turns to God’s faithful love. His rejoicing does not come because circumstances change but because of God’s faithful love. Follow the example of this Psalm if you want. Or Praise God because He hears and his love is faithful.
SCRIPTURE READING:
1 Peter 5:1-5 – The Message
1-3 I have a special concern for you church leaders. I know what it’s like to be a leader, in on Christ’s sufferings as well as the coming glory. Here’s my concern: that you care for God’s flock with all the diligence of a shepherd. Not because you have to, but because you want to please God. Not calculating what you can get out of it, but acting spontaneously. Not bossily telling others what to do, but tenderly showing them the way.
4-5 When God, who is the best shepherd of all, comes out in the open with his rule, he’ll see that you’ve done it right and commend you lavishly. And you who are younger must follow your leaders. But all of you, leaders and followers alike, are to be down to earth with each other, for—
God has had it with the proud,
But takes delight in just plain people.
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 the River Youth team in San Diego. Pray that the gospel seeds that they planted at the sports camp attended by 42 children would produce fruit.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
After addressing the pastors directly, Peter again speaks to the entire church. He tells them in verse 5, “you who are younger, be subject to the elders.” The young here refers to everyone else, not merely the young in age. Peter has instructed the pastors to lead with Christlike humility and now he instructs everyone else to follow with Christlike humility. One of the Heart Attitudes at River is “Submit to Leadership Within Biblical Limits.” This is required for a healthy church culture. Pastors are responsible for nourishing and feeding the flock with the word of God. The role of the sheep ought to be making this job a joy and not a burden. Submitting to leadership within biblical limits doesn’t mean we follow leaders blindly. We follow leaders as they follow Christ and are faithful to his word. Evaluate yourself. How well do you follow?