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 103:1-5
Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Read the Entire Psalm
Praise Him So You Will Remember – We are directed to praise three times in the first three lines of this poem. Then we are told one reason to praise, so that we don’t forget. Do not forget what he has done. Note the actions listed in these verses that God has done. Praise Him for these things and other things that come to mind. Praise Him so that you won’t forget.
Scripture Reading
1 John 4:7-21 – New International Version
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
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 guide them and encourage them as they live and work overseas.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
John 10:31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”
Jesus got an honest answer. They were not trying to kill him because he was doing good work, but rather because he claimed to be God. This is challenging on several levels. First, it should give us pause to reflect on the claims of Jesus. Can you even imagine what it would be like to have someone literally claim to be God, walking around in a human body? I know as a Christian you are used to the idea, but think about the people who were not used to it. Think about the people you know personally who might struggle with this fantastic idea today. Jesus certainly did not leave room to consider him merely a “good man.” He was either God, or he was surely not good. This was and is a hard pill for people to swallow. Second, it should remind us that people are not going to necessarily respond well to us if we seek to love them as Jesus would have us do and if we hold resolutely to his Lordship claims. Just like the Lord Jesus, they will be happy to receive any good we can bring them, but they may not be happy to surrender to Jesus as their Lord.