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 80:1-7
Listen, Shepherd of Israel,
who leads Joseph like a flock;
you who sit enthroned between the cherubim,
shine 2 on Ephraim,
Benjamin, and Manasseh.
Rally your power and come to save us.
3 Restore us, God;
make your face shine on us,
so that we may be saved.
4 Lord God of Armies,
how long will you be angry
with your people’s prayers?
5 You fed them the bread of tears
and gave them a full measure
of tears to drink.
6 You put us at odds with our neighbors;
our enemies mock us.
7 Restore us, God of Armies;
make your face shine on us, so that we may be saved.
Read the Entire Psalm
God restores. God hears. God saves. He is a Shepherd. Praise God that he is involved in the world. He does not stand far off.
SCRIPTURE READING:
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 – New Living Translation
4 “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 8 Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
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 those who do not know God. Ask God to help you see the lost people around you and have compassion for them. Ask God for opportunities to build trust. Ask God to give you opportunities to have gospel conversations.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. That the one true God is able to be loved by us is in itself a miracle. How the God who has made the cosmos, who is eternally existent, can be known and loved by us is a miracle of his grace. The fact that he wants to be loved by us is precious beyond comprehension. Love is not merely emotions, it is actionable. As in any relationship, love for God has an emotional component, but as in any relationship, love for God is demonstrated through the choices we make. We are to love God with all our heart, soul and strength. This is not dividing you into component parts, but rather it is communicating the reality that true love for God involves every single aspect of who we are. This focus on love for God should keep us from becoming rules oriented and unintentionally “de-personalizing” God. Consider your love for God right now. What would it look like for you love him more fully? What would you do or continue to do, or stop doing to make this happen? Back to day one of this week, tell God you are ready to obey, now ask him for wisdom as to what it means for you to love him fully.