Sunday Morning Devotion: Week 7

Your Weekly Rest and Reset

Good Sunday morning. I hope you had a great weekend and are ready for a new week. What better way to start than by joining your church family in a time of worship as well as spending some time with God alone. I encourage you at some point today (or even later this week) to “be still and quiet” before you begin working through this devotion. Perhaps ask the Lord to fill you with his Spirit and to guide and minister to you as you spend time in his presence.

Have a great week and be on the lookout for Wednesday’s “midweek” devotion.

May the Lord bless you,
Dale

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Don’t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it. A man is powerful on his knees. (Corrie Ten Boom)

This Week’s Scripture

·         Haggai 1:15 – 2:9
·         Psalm 145:1-5, 17-21
·         2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17
·         Luke 20:27-38

Adoration

Psalm 145:1-3

I will extol you, my God and King,
    and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you
    and praise your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
    and his greatness is unsearchable.

Holy God, We Praise Thy Name (verse 1)

Holy God, we praise thy name; Lord of all, we
bow before thee; all on earth thy scepter claim;
all in heaven above adore thee. Infinite thy
vast domain; everlasting is thy reign.
(Ignaz Franz)

Take time now to offer God your praise and worship.
 
Confession

The Lord is near to all who call on him,
    to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
    he also hears their cry and saves them. (Psalm 145:18-19)

O Lord, open thou our eyes, that we may see ourselves as thou seest us; in thy mercy show us the evil that is in us, and cleanse us by thy mighty power. From irresolute purpose, from unchastened desires, and from a weak and wavering will, good Lord deliver us. Amen. (The Book of Worship for Church and Home)

As David did in Psalm 139, ask the Lord to search you and know you through and through. Confess the sins God brings to mind, knowing you are forgiven and that He will cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

Thanksgiving

Good and gracious Lord, we give you thanks for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are loved and chosen by you. You saved them through the sanctifying power of your Holy Spirit and thus enabled them to believe in your truth. You called them, and us, through your gospel of grace so that we all may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, Father, fill us now with that same Holy Spirit, so we may stand firm to the end and faithfully hold to the teachings of your Word made flesh and inscripturated. We thank and praise you for your love, eternal comfort, and good hope through your grace. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen. (from 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17)

Spend some time reflecting on the prayer of thanksgiving above and then thank God for who he is and the many ways he has poured out his goodness and grace in your life.
 
Supplication (Petitions – prayers for yourself)

·         Help me to grow in wisdom and become who you created and redeemed me to be.
·         Renew my mind and enable me to cultivate a godly perspective and attitude regarding the various spheres and circumstances of my life.
·         Today’s events and interactions with others, planned and unplanned
·         Other needs
 
Supplication (Intercession – prayers for others)

·         My family, immediate and extended
·         Those struggling with sin, illness, or relational difficulties
·         Other needs
 
 
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us. (Hebrews 12:1)

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What We Believe

(from the Catechism of the Global Methodist Church)
Week 7

Question 13: How does God reconcile us in Christ?

Answer: God reconciles us to himself through the death of Christ upon the cross. (Matt. 27:26, 50, 59-60; Mark 15:15, 37, 45-46; Luke 23:23-25, 46, 53; John 19:16, 30, 33-34, 38-42; Rom 3:21-26; 5:6-11; 1 Cor. 15:3-4.)

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