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 102:1-2
Lord, hear my prayer;
let my cry for help come before you.
2 Do not hide your face from me in my day of trouble.
Listen closely to me;
answer me quickly when I call.
Read the Entire Psalm
Lord hear me. This is such a personal request. Hear me. Listen closely. Answer me. Do not hide from me. The God of the bible is a personal God. He is not far off. We can confidently come and ask him to hear and show himself in our trouble. Praise him that he is personal and listens.
Scripture Reading
John 1:1-18 – New International Version
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
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 Dalton and Hannah. They will be leaving the U.S. soon and will be beginning their work in Thailand.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
“In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” John loves the word “life.” Who doesn’t? Well, maybe someone who hates their life doesn’t. Perhaps someone who is on their death bed and feels like their life is over doesn’t. We use “life” in a variety of ways. My “life” is the sum total of my relationships, activities, problems, etc. “Welcome to MY life!” Life can mean the things that we believe are most valuable. “What makes life worth living” or “My life is over.” Life can mean the physical component of our being. “He doesn’t have long to live.” John also uses “life” in a variety of ways, but when he is talking about Jesus having life in himself, that is the light of men he is talking about: “life as relationship with God.” The “light of his life” is the revelation of God to us. When we see Jesus, we see God. When we follow Jesus, we have peace and relationship with God. The life of Jesus is what makes sense of our lives. Paul wrote in Colossians that “all things were made by Jesus for Jesus.” This means that the “life” of the cosmos is in his hands. It means that our individual lives are also in his hands. It means that the part of our lives we don’t like must be given to him. It means that the parts of our lives we think are most valuable must be given to him. It means that our physical lives must be given to him. You may wonder why something is happening in your life, but you need never wonder why you are alive. You are alive for his purposes. When we walk in the light of the revelation of Jesus, when we see God’s purposes for our lives, then we can learn to love life, as God gives it to us. The life of Jesus is the light of our lives. We do not wander or stumble in darkness, we walk confidently and joyfully in the light.