Pray:
Dear God,
Thank you for the gift of this new day. Help us once again to turn to your Word as found in the Bible. May we use it to strengthen our mind, body, and spirits. Guide us Lord in the Way of your love. Help us to teach others by our words and our actions. In Jesus name we pray. Amen
Read:
Monday Solomon 2:8-13
Tuesday Psalm 45:1-2
Wednesday Psalm 45: 6-9
Thursday James 1:17-18
Friday James 1: 19-27
Apply:
· The narrative poetry of Song of Solomon invites us into scripture in a different way than other texts. How does God speak to you through this poetry?
· What does the Psalm 45 say about the way we should honor God with the gift of love?
· When do you find yourself as merely a “hearer” of the word?
Yield:
· How much time will you invest in studying scripture in prayer and devotion?
· How much time this week will you spend loving others?
Engage:
· What are the ways you put your faith into action?
Remember:
Be doers of the word
Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change (James 1:17).
Sermon Notes
Read the following scriptures.
Song of Solomon 2: 12
Blossoms have appeared in the land; the season of singing[a] has arrived, and the sound of the turtledove is heard in our land.
Psalm 45: 8
All your clothes have the pleasing scent of myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. The music of stringed instruments coming from ivory palaces entertains you.
From the New Testament James 1:16-19
16 Don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters.17 Every good gift, every perfect gift, comes from above. These gifts come down from the Father, the creator of the heavenly lights, in whose character there is no change at all. 18 He chose to give us birth by his true word, and here is the result: we are like the first crop from the harvest of everything he created.
One of my favorite gifts of all time was a coffee cup had these words on it. Every perfect gift is from above. Have you ever been given a perfect gift? [1]
What was it? Who gave it to you? What made it perfect?
Well on August 6, 1983, God gave me the best wife ever. I was married to Kayce over 41 years ago. I would say that was a perfect gift. God gave us two children, Adam and LIndsay. Now surely children are the perfect gift. Then on June 6, 2017, I was given this Bible with my name on it by our Biship when I was ordained. I would say that was a perfect gift. However, I can think of perfect gift that is even greater than these. Over 2000 years ago God came into the world in the flesh. Today we celebrate communion once again and I hope these words have resonated with you from last months sermon series where we reflected on these words. Jesus said, “I Am the Bread of Life.”
Remember when we take on Jesus and fill our hearts with his joy and peace then we are one with Jesus. Jesus is encouraging his disciples and encouraging us to be so closely aligned with him that we are one with him in the flesh. This is a reminder that as Jesus lived and died in the flesh so we too live and die in the flesh; so that as Jesus suffered, so will his disciples suffer so will we suffer; as Jesus died we remember on that third day rose again from the dead, so will we who have put our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior will one day die and rise again to new life. That’s our hope, that’s the Good News of the Gospel. Jesus is our perfect gift. And that is the Wisdom for All Generations my friends. Weil you follow Jesus today and in the days to come? Oh I can here those words again
There is love.
There is love.
There is love.
Can I get an amen?
[1]Room, The Upper. The Upper Room Disciplines 2024: A Book of Daily Devotions (p. 442). Upper Room Books. Kindle Edition.
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