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 24:7-10 Lift up your heads, you gates! Rise up, ancient doors! Then the King of glory will come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, you gates! Rise up, ancient doors! Then the King of glory will come in. 10 Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord of Armies, he is the King of glory.
Read the entire Psalm
Who is the King of glory? Who reigns over glory? Who is the only one due supreme glory? Who supersedes all with regards to glory and strength. The Lord is the King of all glory. No one is powerful and glorious compared with Him. Praise Him the King of glory.
Scripture Reading
1 Peter 5:6-14 – New International Version
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
12 With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.
13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love.
Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
Having God’s Ear through Prayer
- Express thanks 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 Jason and Lisa. Ask God to give them direction and wisdom and these seek to make connections and build relationships with refugees in the city where they serve.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
Who are you impressed by? It is okay to have admiration and respect for people with great gifting, talents, skill, and intelligence. There is a difference between being impressed, in a healthy way, and stepping over a line where a mere human becomes more in your mind than they actually are. Everyone with a gift, talent, skill, or opportunity has those things because of the grace of God. This doesn’t mean they haven’t exercised effort to make those gifts operational. Grace and grit are a part of every successful person’s life. When we become impressed in ways that lead to a sort of idolatry, we have stepped over a dangerous line. When we become jealous of what others have been given and fail to be grateful for what God has done in our lives, we have stepped over a dangerous line. Do you need to step back? Are you inappropriately impressed by others? Are you jealous of others? Repent, step back. Jeremiah wrote,
“This is what the Lord says:
“Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength
or the rich man boast of his riches,
but let him who boasts boast about this:
that he understands and knows me,
that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,”
declares the Lord.
(Jer 9:23,24)
The only legitimate boast is “I know the Lord.” All other boasting is insane and soul-deadening. If you know the Lord, you have reason to rejoice. If you know the Lord, you need not fear or be jealous of any human. If you have stepped over a line, repent, step back and return to gratitude and worship of God alone.