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 63:6-8
When I think of you as I lie on my bed,
I meditate on you during the night watches
7 because you are my helper;
I will rejoice in the shadow of your wings.
8 I follow close to you;
your right hand holds on to me.
Read the Entire Psalm
As I lie on my bed… What do you think about as you lay down at night? Are your thoughts drawn to regrets of the day, unfinished business, or all that you have to do tomorrow? Does worry creep in? Here are thoughts you can think about… God is your helper. You can rejoice because he is near. You can follow close to him. His right hand holds you. Meditate on these thoughts and imagine them coming into being.
SCRIPTURE READING:
John 13:1-17 – The Message
13 1-2 Just before the Passover Feast, Jesus knew that the time had come to leave this world to go to the Father. Having loved his dear companions, he continued to love them right to the end. It was suppertime. The Devil by now had Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, firmly in his grip, all set for the betrayal.
3-6 Jesus knew that the Father had put him in complete charge of everything, that he came from God and was on his way back to God. So he got up from the supper table, set aside his robe, and put on an apron. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples, drying them with his apron. When he got to Simon Peter, Peter said, “Master, you wash my feet?”
7 Jesus answered, “You don’t understand now what I’m doing, but it will be clear enough to you later.”
8 Peter persisted, “You’re not going to wash my feet—ever!”
Jesus said, “If I don’t wash you, you can’t be part of what I’m doing.”
9 “Master!” said Peter. “Not only my feet, then. Wash my hands! Wash my head!”
10-12 Jesus said, “If you’ve had a bath in the morning, you only need your feet washed now and you’re clean from head to toe. My concern, you understand, is holiness, not hygiene. So now you’re clean. But not every one of you.” (He knew who was betraying him. That’s why he said, “Not every one of you.”) After he had finished washing their feet, he took his robe, put it back on, and went back to his place at the table.
12-17 Then he said, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You address me as ‘Teacher’ and ‘Master,’ and rightly so. That is what I am. So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other’s feet. I’ve laid down a pattern for you. What I’ve done, you do. I’m only pointing out the obvious. A servant is not ranked above his master; an employee doesn’t give orders to the employer. If you understand what I’m telling you, act like it—and live a blessed 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 for Christian Challenge as they meet tonight at River.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
What have you developed a “mind of?” Do you have the mind of a sport or hobby? Do you have the mind of politics or certain theological ideas and trends? Do you have the mind of career and money? How did you get that mind? You went after it by your persistent choices. You thought about it, you read about it, you talked about it, you invested in it. These things are, in themselves, neutral. They can all become negative if they become idols, but in themselves, they are not wrong. My point in these examples is that there are many things in your life to which you have given effort in order to allow them to shape your mind and life. What comparative effort will you give to knowing the truth of Christ as revealed in Scripture and doing the hard mental work of letting that truth shape your life? There are things that you have let shape your mind born of necessity. You needed to know them to pass a class or do a job. There are other things that are shaping your mind that come from what you love. You can, if you have not yet, learn to love Christ in a way that the pursuit of his mind in you can be your great joy. Don’t fret if you are not there yet; just do the work and pray for God to give you increasing joy in the pursuit of the mind of Christ in you and expressed through you.