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 90:1-2 Lord, you have been our refuge in every generation.
2 Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world,
from eternity to eternity, you are God.
Read the Entire Psalm
Eternal God – God has always been. He will alway be. Mountains seem stable and constant, God existed before the mountains. There was an existence before the earth and the world. God was all that existed in that reality. Praise Him for His eternal nature.
SCRIPTURE READING:
2 Timothy 3:1-9, 10-17 – The Message
Difficult Times Ahead
3 1-5 Don’t be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. They’ll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they’re animals. Stay clear of these people.
6-9 These are the kind of people who smooth-talk themselves into the homes of unstable and needy women and take advantage of them; women who, depressed by their sinfulness, take up with every new religious fad that calls itself “truth.” They get exploited every time and never really learn. These men are like those old Egyptian frauds Jannes and Jambres, who challenged Moses. They were rejects from the faith, twisted in their thinking, defying truth itself. But nothing will come of these latest impostors. Everyone will see through them, just as people saw through that Egyptian hoax.
Keep the Message Alive
10-13 You’ve been a good apprentice to me, a part of my teaching, my manner of life, direction, faith, steadiness, love, patience, troubles, sufferings—suffering along with me in all the grief I had to put up with in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. And you also well know that God rescued me! Anyone who wants to live all out for Christ is in for a lot of trouble; there’s no getting around it. Unscrupulous con men will continue to exploit the faith. They’re as deceived as the people they lead astray. As long as they are out there, things can only get worse.
14-17 But don’t let it faze you. Stick with what you learned and believed, sure of the integrity of your teachers—why, you took in the sacred Scriptures with your mother’s milk! There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.
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 the youth mission teams as they prepare for their mission trips this summer. Pray that they would grow together as a team and share the gospel clearly.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
The most important thing we can do is trust and ground ourselves in God’s Word. Sometimes, there’s a disconnect between what we believe and what we do. Our beliefs and behaviors are not in alignment. We don’t give the same dedication to scripture as we do to sports or our hobbies. We may not see scripture as something delightful to explore, but we desire to. We have to put in the effort to ensure that what we believe about the Scriptures and what we actually do with them are in sync and be willing to take steps to bring them back into alignment. When it comes to our faith, the Bible is our power supply, and we must stay connected to it. If we become disconnected, we will struggle and become depleted. Be willing to put in the effort to align your beliefs and behaviors, especially when it comes to God’s Word.