Sunday Morning Devotional

Your Weekly Rest and Reset

God is perfect love and perfect wisdom. We do not pray in order to change his will, but to bring our wills into harmony with his. (Sir William Temple)

This Week’s Scripture

·         Isaiah 2:1-5
·         Psalm 122
·         Romans 13:11-14
·         Matthew 24:36-44

Adoration

Psalm 122:6-9

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
    “May they be secure who love you!
7 Peace be within your walls
    and security within your towers!”
8 For my brothers and companions' sake
    I will say, “Peace be within you!”
9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
    I will seek your good.

Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee (verse 1)

Joyful, joyful, we adore thee, God of glory, Lord of love;
hearts unfold like flowers before thee, opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away.
Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day!
(Henry Van Dyke)

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

The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. (Romans 13:12-14)

Forgive me my sins, O Lord – the sins of my present and the sins of my past, the sins of my soul and the sins of my body, the sins which I have done to please myself and the sins which I have done to please others. Forgive me my casual sins and my deliberate sins and those which I have labored so to hide. Forgive me them, O Lord, forgive them all; for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen. (Thomas Wilson)

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

Heavenly Father, we thank you for all your promises in Holy Scripture. Your promises give us hope, assurance, and confidence in the midst of grief, fear, uncertainty, and doubt. We thank you that you so lovingly provide these promises to us and for us. We humbly ask you to give us the faith to believe them and live our lives as though they have already come to pass, because, in a manner of speaking, they have. For the fulfillment of your promises is certain and we can rest our hearts, minds, and souls upon them. You promise us that your children will one day all worship you together. You promise to teach us your ways so that we may walk in your paths. You promise to judge between the nations and to turn swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks so that, one day, we will know war no more. We pray for these things, even as we rest upon these promises. Come Lord Jesus. Amen. (from Isaiah 2:1-5)

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)

·         Lord, help me to faithfully participate in the life of my congregation and for the sake of my community…
By my prayers
By my presence
By my gifts
By my service
By my witness
·         Today’s events and interactions with others, planned and unplanned
·         Other needs
 
Supplication (Intercession – prayers for others)
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·         My family
·         For those who serve in government, at the national, state, and local levels
·         For those who serve in law-enforcement
·         For those who serve in fire and rescue
·         For those who serve in our nation’s military
·         Other needs
 
All thy works shall give thanks to thee, O Lord, and all thy saints shall bless thee! They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and tell of thy power. (Psalm 145:10-11)

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What We Believe

(from the Catechism of the Global Methodist Church)
Week 10

Question 16: Is Jesus Christ our great high priest?

Answer: Yes. Because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 4:14-16; 7:11-28; 1 John 2:1-2.)

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