LOVE GOD’S WORD & PRAYERDaily Bible Reading |
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| At Faith Baptist Fellowship, we Love God’s Word and Prayer. We strongly believe that every growing disciple of Jesus needs to be regularly hearing from God through His word and personally speaking back to God through prayer. If regular Bible reading is not yet a habit of yours, this is a great way to get started!
We are encouraging everyone to continue our Daily Bible Readings. We will provide devotional thoughts and helpful prayer points on the passages. The weekend material will prepare you for the upcoming Sunday sermon as well as provide some discussion help for Faith Groups. We encourage you to set aside at least 15-20 minutes a day for reading and prayer. If you fall behind, just start on the current day. Try to develop the habit of reading at the same time and place. Have a journal and pen for answering questions and recording your thoughts and insights. For additional Bible reading plans, check out faithsf.com. Enjoy your time in God’s Word and Prayer! |
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Monday, February 13Read I Kings 6-7 |
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| THINK: Simply enjoy reading this detailed account of Solomon’s grand effort to build the temple and his palace, as well as its contents. [Note: if you have an ESV Study Bible, you will find beautiful drawings and descriptions of the work. Take time to study them.] What does God ask of Solomon? What do you learn about Solomon as you read? What stands out to you with regard to the furnishings? 7:1-12 is an insert with regard to the building of Solomon’s house. Take time to ponder: what is the temple of God today?
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| PRAY It is a worthwhile thing to reflect on this truth: building the temple to the Lord in obedience to God and doing so in such a magnificent and grand way, did not keep either Solomon or the people of Israel true to the Lord. It was an astounding achievement, but how much grander today to know God personally, be saved by grace, be filled with the Holy Spirit, and to be the temple of the Holy Spirit! Praise God for the gospel! Praise God for his saving grace. Pray the profound truth of Acts 17:24-31. What a God! What grace!
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Tuesday, February 14Read I Kings 8 |
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| THINK: Write a few lines summarizing each section of this dedication:
Bringing the ark to the temple:
Solomon blesses God:
Solomon dedicates the temple:
Solomon’s benediction:
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| PRAY: Now pray a prayer that reflects profound truths about God from this chapter of dedication. For what should we praise God and adore him? For what should we seek his help and his intervention? For what should we confess? Pray for our West Campus elders and staff. Ask God to bless and guide every aspect of ministry.
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Wednesday, February 15Read I Kings 9-10 |
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| THINK: The chapter opens with the Lord reaffirming his covenant agreement with Solomon. What is the promise given to Solomon? What is the warning? This will be critical as the story continues. How would you describe Solomon in light of the details included in the remainder of ch. 9? What took away the breath of the Queen of Sheba? Even the Queen of Sheba recognized that Solomon had been blessed by the Lord (10:9).
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| PRAY: Reaffirm in prayer your own covenant relationship with God through Jesus Christ your Lord! Express to your heavenly Father your trust, love, and hope; tell him also of your desire to walk in his ways, as an obedient child obeys his father. Thank God for the gift of salvation by grace through faith in Christ. Thank him also for “every good and perfect gift” which comes from him, including the gift of the Holy Spirit. Ask God for wisdom in making decisions. Pray for wisdom and discernment for the South Campus Search Team during this Season of Change.
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Thursday, February 16Read I Kings 11 |
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| THINK: With this chapter a sad turn takes place in the narrative. What is it? God’s will had been very clear; Solomon was weak in this area of life and ignored God’s command. What a sad, heartbreaking statement: “his wives turned away his heart.” Sexual infidelity is so often the weakness that turns the hearts of powerful people in corrupt directions. What did Solomon become as he got older? How did God respond? What will be the tragic result?
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| PRAY: Is there a weakness in your life that turns your heart away from God? Confess it to God. Ask him to fill you with the Spirit and help you repent and turn away and trust him completely. Express regret to God for the sexual infidelity of our nation and its leaders. Ask God to restore righteousness among his people. Ask the Father to help us stay focused on the main thing: JESUS CHRIST. Pray that our worship and ministry would remain gospel-centered.
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Friday, February 17Read I Kings 12 |
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| THINK: What is the tragic result of King Solomon’s sin? The division between Jeroboam and Rehoboam reveals a profound truth: the hearts of unwise leaders do evil things (including refusing to listen to your wiser elders), yet ultimately it is still the Lord’s doing (v. 15). What stops Rehoboam from fighting a civil war with the ten tribes of Jeroboam? What great sin does Jeroboam commit against the Lord? What motivated him to do this? Why was this utter foolishness?
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| PRAY: These last two chapters remind us of Olson’s Axiom #2: “Sin makes you stupid.” Solomon’s sin was a grave break in his covenant relationship with God; his successors were moved by fear to lead in a most foolish manner. Ask God to keep you from foolish sins. Tell God that you don’t want fear to keep you from doing the right thing or move you to sinful choices either. “Fill me with your Spirit; make me wise through your word, the Bible; help me live a life pleasing to you.”
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Weekend, February 18-19 |
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| If you’ve fallen behind this week, consider using these extra days to catch up. You can also prepare your heart and mind for this Sunday’s worship service. Read the planned sermon text above and the thoughts below in advance of Sunday morning’s message. If you are in a Faith Group, consider discussing the questions below together.
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| THINK: In this passage Paul addresses spiritual gifts which apparently is in response to a question the Corinthians raised to Paul (see 7:1). Gifts here could refer to either spiritual ‘people’ or special ‘abilities’. What is the only way that anyone can say, “Jesus is Lord”? What common element exists in the diversity of gifts, service, and activities? To whom is given the manifestation of the Spirit and for who’s good is the manifestation of the Spirit given? What spiritual gifts did Paul describe? Who determines how these gifts are distributed?
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| PRAY: Note the reference to the Trinity in vs 4-6. The ESV Study Bible has these comments—“The diversity of divine persons within the unity of the Trinity should be reflected in the diversity of gifts within the unity of the body of Christ in Corinth.” Note how Paul is continuing to emphasize ‘Unity’ even as he lists the differing spiritual gifts. Praise God for the various ‘gifts’ (people and abilities) that He has given to the church body of Faith. Pray for unity within the church body, that we maintain our focus on the Giver of those gifts rather than be preoccupied with the gifts themselves.
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| FAITH GROUP: What spiritual gifts have you seen used in our church body? Do you know what your spiritual gift(s) are? Have you ever thought about this? Take some time to encourage one another by perhaps identifying or confirming a particular spiritual gift that you have observed in them. Discuss ways that these gifts may be further developed and used within the church body of Faith. | ||