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 145:1-3 I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.
Read the Entire Psalm
God’s greatness is unsearchable. There are great men and women in our world. There are great men and women of the past. You could search out their great accomplishments and characteristics and write them down. You could never exhaustively catalog the Lord’s greatness. His greatness is beyond searching out. Think of His greatness in just designing the human body. His greatness is seen in creating the human body and sustaining life. Consider the greatness of plotting out the seasons and systems needed for life on earth. He holds all things together day after day with no real effort because He IS great. His greatness is unsearchable. Praise God for His greatness.
SCRIPTURE READING:
2 Peter 3:1-11 – Christian Standard Bible
3 Dear friends, this is now the second letter I have written to you; in both letters, I want to stir up your sincere understanding by way of reminder, 2 so that you recall the words previously spoken by the holy prophets and the command of our Lord and Savior given through your apostles. 3 Above all, be aware of this: Scoffers will come in the last days scoffing and following their own evil desires, 4 saying, “Where is his ‘coming’ that he promised? Ever since our ancestors fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation.” 5 They deliberately overlook this: By the word of God the heavens came into being long ago and the earth was brought about from water and through water. 6 Through these the world of that time perished when it was flooded. 7 By the same word, the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
8 Dear friends, don’t overlook this one fact: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. 9 The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed. 11 Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness
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 students that participated in the Launch for Christian Challenge last night at Wichita State. Ask God to draw students to deeper walk with Him and committed relationship with one another.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
So, to live wisely in light of the second coming, what sort of person ought I to be? Peter writes that we should be people with lives demonstrating holiness and godliness. Holiness means “set apart.” To be holy is not to be detached from the world, but to be set apart by God for his purposes in the world. Godliness means to be “like God,” especially in your interactions with others. Not “godlike” but “godly.” Godlike people think of themselves as better than others. Godly people put the interests of others ahead of their own, like the Lord Jesus did. If you want to know how to think and act in regards to the “end of the world,” I can tell you. You should “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and you should love your neighbor as you love yourself.”