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 122:1-9 I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let’s go to the house of the Lord.”
2 Our feet were standing within your gates, Jerusalem—
3 Jerusalem, built as a city should be, solidly united,
4 where the tribes, the Lord’s tribes, go up to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
(This is an ordinance for Israel.)
5 There, thrones for judgment are placed, thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the well-being of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure;
7 may there be peace within your walls, security within your fortresses.”
8 Because of my brothers and friends, I will say, “May peace be in you.”
9 Because of the house of the Lord our God, I will pursue your prosperity.
God has chosen a people for Himself to live together under His rule for all eternity. Notice the corporate nature of this song. Rejoicing together. Going to God’s house together. Praying together. Pursuing peace and prosperity together. Give thanks to God for His people. Praise Him that He has called us to live life under His rule together.
SCRIPTURE READING:
2 Peter 1:1-15 – New Living Translation
1 This letter is from Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ.
I am writing to you who share the same precious faith we have. This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior.
2 May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.
3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.
5 In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.
8 The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.
10 So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. 11 Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
12 Therefore, I will always remind you about these things—even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught. 13 And it is only right that I should keep on reminding you as long as I live. 14 For our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that I must soon leave this earthly life, 15 so I will work hard to make sure you always remember these things after I am gone.
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
In verses 5-7, Peter challenges us to “make every effort” to supplement our faith with a pursuit of godliness. This challenge stems directly from Peter’s reminder that God’s divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. In other words, the standard for our effort is to reflect the standard of God’s great gift.
Faith seems to be the keystone quality in this list. Why do you think that is? What is the object of this faith?
Think about the specific sin you confessed yesterday. What would it look like for you to take a step in the direction of “making every effort”? Make a clear and simple plan. You might need to ask a close friend if you can be accountable to them as you seek to implement this plan.