READ

1 Chronicles 27-28

Psalm 50

WEEKEND REFLECTION

This week we read the account of the census that David ordered, which displeased the Lord, and ended up costing David (and Israel) greatly. Why was this census such an affront to God? 

I think there is a clue in Joab’s resistance to David’s orders. In 1 Chronicles 21:3, Joab protests by saying, “May the Lord add to his people a 100 times as many as they are…” Even Joab (who wasn’t the most spiritual man in David’s circle) could see that this census was motivated by the sin of pride and self-reliance. 

And that makes sense. Right at the heart of this sin, in 1 Chronicles 21:1, we learn that behind David’s desire to exalt in his own strength, there was Satan. This is the way Satan operates. 

We would do well to learn from David’s mistake. David looked to the ‘his’ standing army (it wasn’t really his, was it?) and not to the Lord. May we not be tempted towards self-reliance, or to taking our own “census”, whatever that might look like for us. Rather, let’s trust in the Lord, and in the Lord alone.  

PRAY

For the months of July and August in our Daily Worship we will be praying through our Five Loves during the week and our Mission and Vision statements on the weekend.  

To be a vibrant, healthy family of Christ-like believers proclaiming a cross-centered gospel, living cross-centered lives. 

By "cross-centered" we mean that we strive to keep the truth of the gospel central in all that we do. It is central to what we proclaim, (our doctrine), and it is central to how we live, (our culture). As believers who have been adopted into God’s family through Jesus Christ, we aspire to be a church that consistently proclaims the gospel that has saved us and consistently lives in a manner that reflects our love for Christ, one another, and our neighbors. 

• Pray that God would keep you and our church always rooted and grounded in God’s word. 

• Pray that God would help you and our church to live in way that is consistent with what we believe. 

• Ask God to make us a “vibrant, healthy family of Christ-like believers” who love one another. 

• Pray for God to grow our church spiritually by his word and his Spirit. 

SING

Come Praise And Glorify - Sovereign Grace Music