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 37:8-17
Refrain from anger and give up your rage;
do not be agitated—it can only bring harm.
9 For evildoers will be destroyed,
but those who put their hope in the Lord
will inherit the land.
10 A little while, and the wicked person will be no more;
though you look for him, he will not be there.
11 But the humble will inherit the land
and will enjoy abundant prosperity.
12 The wicked person schemes against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him.
13 The Lord laughs at him
because he sees that his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn the sword and strung the bow
to bring down the poor and needy
and to slaughter those whose way is upright.
15 Their swords will enter their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
16 The little that the righteous person has is better
than the abundance of many wicked people.
17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken,
but the Lord supports the righteous.
Read the Entire Psalm
The wicked and the righteous are contrasted throughout this Psalm. The righteous are those who seek to do what is right and seek refuge in the Lord. The wicked are those who use whatever means necessary to bring their earthly desires to pass. Everyone has acted in a wicked manner, but for those who have been redeemed by Christ, wickedness (living contrary to God) is a way of life they have rejected. Praise the Lord for verse 17. If you want to live rightly the Lord will support your desire. He is for you pursuing right living. He holds you up.
SCRIPTURE READING:
1 Corinthians 4:1-4 – The Message
4 1-4 Don’t imagine us leaders to be something we aren’t. We are servants of Christ, not his masters. We are guides into God’s divine secrets, not security guards posted to protect them. The requirements for a good guide are reliability and accurate knowledge. It matters very little to me what you think of me, even less where I rank in popular opinion. I don’t even rank myself. Comparisons in these matters are pointless. I’m not aware of anything that would disqualify me from being a good guide for you, but that doesn’t mean much. The Master makes that judgment.
Colossians 1:16-20 – The Message
15-18 We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.
18-20 He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he’s there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so expansive, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.
Proverbs 4:23-27 – The Message
23-27 Keep vigilant watch over your heart;
that’s where life starts.
Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth;
avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.
Keep your eyes straight ahead;
ignore all sideshow distractions.
Watch your step,
and the road will stretch out smooth before you.
Look neither right nor left;
leave evil in the dust.
Philippians 4:6-7 – The Message
6-7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
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 today for Christian Challenge as they meet tonight at River.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
Long term faithfulness requires community. Do you believe this or not? The truest test of whether you believe it is what you actually do with your calendar. Do you show up for worship on Sunday? Do you show up for group? Do you show up for key church events designed to build community? If you don’t actually show up, then you don’t actually believe that you need community. Or perhaps you believe you need just enough to get by. That’s actually true: you can engage the Body of Christ enough to get by, but you are missing the opportunity to thrive. Why survive when you could thrive? If you are fully engaged with the body, then you understand what I am saying. Or perhaps you just take it for granted. You are thriving, but have not been fully aware of how important the church family is in your thriving. God has designed us to live in community. Just as attempting to put ourselves at the center is trying to live outside of reality, so also not living fully in community is an attempt to live outside of reality as God has made it. Engage with your heart and soul the community God has placed you in. If you become weary or lose heart…cry out to God, rouse yourself and tell your own soul what it must do. “Soul, trust in the Lord; soul, love the Church, this is the will of the Lord.”