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 131
Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I do not get involved with things too great or too wondrous for me. 2 Instead, I have calmed and quieted my soul like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like a weaned child.
3 Israel, put your hope in the Lord, both now and forever.
Put Your Hope in the Lord – Ask for a calm and quiet soul. Work for a calm and quiet soul by giving your cares to God. There are things that you are concerned about that are above your pay grade, they are too great or wondrous for you. This does not mean you should ignore these things but instead bring them to God. He is Great. He is Wondrous.
Scripture Reading
Psalm 67:1-2 – New International Version
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.
1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine on us—
2 so that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 – New International Version
9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Matthew 28:16-20 – New International Version
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
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 Isaac and Suzanne. Ask God to use them and encourage them as they serve in Germany at Black Forest Academy
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
God delights in giving. We have existence because God has given us existence. He sustains our existence not because he wants something from us but just because he is generous and loving. At Christmas time our attention is drawn towards giving to others. God has been gracious and generous to us. He did not need to give us life. He was not entitled to provide a way for us to be forgiven from our sins. He did not have to provide the Holy Spirit to instruct us on how to live. He did not need to give us his word. He is generous. He generously gives but how do we respond to his generosity? We express gratitude through our words and we live generously towards others by sharing the life and forgiveness that we have received. Psalm 67:1,2 says, May God be gracious to us and bless us, make his face shine on us so that your ways may be known on the earth, your salvation among the nations. Take a moment and think about how God has been gracious to you. He has shown his grace through Jesus. How has he blessed you? How has he shown you favor and made His face shine on you? Ask Him to allow you to use the good he has brought into your life to be a blessing to others.