TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being. Revelation 4:11
Read: Revelation 4:1-11
Listen: Revelation 4
TODAY’S MESSAGE
Throughout 2023, we focused on spiritual practices to deepen our relationship with God and mold and train us into Jesus’s character. This week, we will review each practice and encourage you to keep growing in them in the next year.
CONFESSION is admitting and agreeing with God that our thoughts, actions or words were wrong and sinful. It’s not merely saying, “I have sinned,” but being specific and honest with God about our sins. A regular discipline of confession clears the air between us and God, allowing a deeper relationship with him. We can regularly ask God to reveal our sin and confess it immediately when we recognize it. We cling to the promise that when we confess, God is “faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
SECRECY is deliberately choosing to do the right thing without seeking recognition. Perhaps, even taking steps to ensure people don’t find out about it. Jesus introduces this concept in the Sermon on the Mount as he instructs his followers to do something solely for the recognition of God (Matthew 6:1-4). It’s doing the right thing without self-promotion. It trains the heart to leave any public recognition up to God and to trust God instead of putting our trust in the people around us. It helps us recognize that our character is what matters.
WORSHIP is the practice of focusing on and responding to God. We respond to the awesomeness of God–his power, beauty, glory and holiness (Revelation 4:11). Jesus models that worship is public and private. He spends time at local synagogues for teaching. He also regularly withdraws alone to spend time with the Father. We also need times of public worship where we are strengthened by meeting together to proclaim God’s greatness. We also need private time to deepen our worship of him. The more we worship God, the more we become like him in our character.
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
Pick one of these three and practice it today. Spend time confessing a sin to God or serve in a way no one will ever know. Or take a walk, turn on a worship song and spend time declaring how great God is.
2023 SPIRITUAL PRACTICES
Join us all of 2023 developing a different spiritual practice each month. SPIRITUAL PRACTICES are intentional regular activities to deepen our relationship with God and mold us to be more like Jesus.
December is CELEBRATION. Keep track of our spiritual practices at beyondtheweekend.org/spiritualpractices.
Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.
