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, May 29Read Psalm 30 |
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| THINK: “Extol” is another worship word, like exalt or laud. David had stared death in the face, asked for God’s help, and found healing and restoration. The occasion called for singing! Like David, we must sing of God’s great name, his help in hard times, his joy after a night of weeping. Like David, we at times feel God’s hand of correction as well as the need for mercy due to sin. Note the vivid imagery used in the final burst of worshipful praise (vv. 11-12). Are you a worshipper? Does your heart cry for help and sing in praise?
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| PRAY: This is another of the psalms we can truly make our own by praying them to the Lord. Walk through Psalm 30, line by line, thought be thought, making this poem your own heartfelt prayer. You can keep the tenses past (thanking God for what he’s done) or turn them into present tense (how you need his help today). What mercy do you need for present sin? What help do you need in current circumstances? Call upon your Heavenly Father. Then worship and praise your Father. On Memorial Day, pray for our nation.
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Tuesday, May 30Read Psalm 31 |
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| THINK: David needs a refuge, rescue, and deliverance. What are the reasons for his need? Foes oppose him. Enemies have set a net for him. They are idolators, not worshippers. Sin has beset him. He has brought about his own trouble and is even sick to the point of death as a result – “my bones waste away” (vv. 9-10). For David, things have reached a bitter, low point (vv.11-13). Nevertheless, he turns to God in faith again, asking for God to bring relief. He clings to God as his rock (vv. 14ff.). He knows the goodness of God. He trusts in the Deliverer to sustain and restore him–from weakness to strength, from emptiness to courage. Love the Lord!
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| PRAY: Psalm 31 is truly a prayer for real life, for distress. Our own sin as well as ungodly foes make real life hard. It can even affect our health and vitality. But prayer is the right response! So, like David, bring your “real life struggles” to the throne of grace. Ask God for help. Borrow the language of David’s poem to give you words to express the reality of today, whatever the circumstances. Bare your heart to the Father! Pray for our high school graduates.
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Wednesday, May 31Read Psalm 32 |
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| THINK: What man or woman is blessed of God? [Note: it’s not the perfect person, for only Jesus Christ is perfect.] What happens when we cover up instead of confess our sin? Deliverance comes when we openly confess our sin and receive his divine cleansing by the blood of Christ. It’s far better to receive the instruction of the Lord than to be a stubborn mule and obstinately defy him. Why? Because wickedness brings sorrow, while steadfast love awaits those who trust the Lord and walk in the obedience of faith. Be glad!
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| PRAY: It would be foolish to read this Psalm and ponder it but not do it! So, confess any known sin to the Lord. Come clean with your Heavenly Father. Receive the blessing and joy of knowing that in Christ you are clean; in Christ there is nothing between you and God. Don’t be a mule! What sin struggle do you have that you ought to chat with the Father about today? “Father, I know you are faithful and righteous to cleanse me through Jesus Christ. Thank you!” Continue to pray for the Johnson family and the sale of their home.
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Thursday, June 1Read Psalm 33 |
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| THINK: Shout for joy, play skillfully, sing a new song, give thanks: truly God is worthy of our exuberant worship! His character is worthy of our worship. His awesome creation inspires our worship. His counsel is far greater than the governments of nations, and far more lasting. Their armies cannot save them where the sovereignty of God is concerned. So, fear the Lord! Hope in his steadfast love. Wait, hope, trust–he will deliver his people in his time! Imagine yourself as a great composer dreaming up a grand melody to do justice to this magnificent song of worship.
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| PRAY: How does a believer, a child of God, respond in prayer to such a marvelous psalm/song/poem? Do you sing your response? Shout it out loud? Play your musical instrument? Yes! You could do any or all of these. Or simply pray through the lines, one by one, making Psalm 33 your very own prayer of worship to God who alone is worthy. We are seeing in these days the limitations of human governments, armies, courts of justice. We are being humbled. God alone holds the key! Come, Lord Jesus! Pray for our summer VBS.
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Friday, June 2Read Jeremiah 1 |
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| THINK: Ponder the implications of v. 5: God’s special anointing and calling were on Jeremiah while in his mother’s womb. Does that have implications for a Christian worldview? What excuse does Jeremiah offer? How does God answer that excuse? What special assignment did God have for Jeremiah (vv. 9-10)? How do the pictures that Jeremiah “saw” further clarify his special assignment from the Lord? Despite the fact that this is a tough job to do, what promise does God make to Jeremiah to encourage him in the face of opposition?
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| PRAY: The great sin of abortion continues across America and around the world, as infants in the womb are destroyed. Admit this national sin to God and ask him to turn the heart of America from this darkness. What assignment has God given you? (Indicators might be spiritual gifts he has given, unique opportunities he has opened to you, or an office you might hold.) Pray about it. Ask God to help you! Pray for our ministry teams and their leaders.
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Weekend, June 3-4Read John 14:15-31 |
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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: We Embrace the Holy Spirit! God has sent us a Helper to draw us to himself, give us a new heart, live in us and change us, counsel and comfort us. Out of love for God we align our lives with his commands (as in the Great Commission in Matthew 28: “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you”), but God has not left us alone and on our own in this love pursuit. He has given us a Helper, the Holy Spirit! What a kind gift of God! It’s a LOVE FEST (see v.21). The Helper will also remind us and teach us, enabling us to walk with Jesus, to be at peace with God is a troubled world, and embrace the gospel of the cross and resurrection.
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| PRAY: Pray a prayer of thanks to God for his precious gift of a Helper for us, the Holy Spirit of God, the third person of the Trinity. Ask God to fill you with his Spirit, to help you walk in step with the Spirit, and listen when the Spirit reminds you of all that Christ commands. Pray for Pastor Dana preaching on this marvelous truth. Pray for our worship team and Pastor Thomas. Pray for Aaron Myers and our Tech Team. Thank God for these servants who faithfully serve in this way each week.
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| FAITH GROUP: Discuss God’s gift of the Holy Spirit as our Helper. Do you find it difficult to hear his promptings? What helps you keep in step with God’s Spirit and seek his fulness? Read together Ephesians 5:15-21 and discuss the relationship between walking, singing, and being filled with the Holy Spirit. | ||