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 25:6-7
Remember, Lord, your compassion
and your faithful love,
for they have existed from antiquity.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth
or my acts of rebellion;
in keeping with your faithful love, remember me
because of your goodness, Lord.
Read the Entire Psalm
Remember, Lord, your compassion. If you are in Christ, when God looks at you, he sees you in line with his compassion and faithful love. His faithful love is not dependent on your goodness, but on his. Give thanks to God for his compassion.
SCRIPTURE READING:
John 15:1-17
Christian Standard Bible
The Vine and the Branches
15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples.
Christlike Love
9 “As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
11 “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.
12 “This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.
17 “This is what I command you: Love one another.
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.
- Pray for the hostages still held in Gaza to be released.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
Many married couples mourn the fact that the “feelings” are gone. This can mean many different things, but it is most often a sign that their thinking is off and needs to be adjusted. There are chemicals that are released in the brain during the infatuation stage of relationships. These chemicals create “feelings,” and these feelings can be addictive. This is why so many people jump from relationship to relationship every three years or less. This coincides with the infatuation process in our brains. Couples who stay together long term also have a chemical process that develops to form lasting bonds. This feels different than the infatuation chemical. I am not saying that love is merely chemicals. I am saying that many are searching for essentially a return to a certain chemical response, and they are not even aware this is happening. The same process can be true for people in their relationship with God. They believe that certain emotional responses are signs of closeness (abiding) with Christ. When those emotions are absent, they think something is wrong and go looking for a way to get them back. This search for feelings can be destructive and can take people off the path of holiness. Embrace appropriate feelings, but never chase them. To chase feelings is foolish and a diversion from long term faithful obedience.