Week Eighteen of Cultivate Delight, where we are actively planning our spiritual endeavors this coming week with the goal of a consistent time spent engaging our hearts with Christ in his word, in prayer, in reflection, and in music. Below are some starting points for reflection, and I hope you find them helpful. The goal is to not just rush through these and then get on with your day. Take your time and reflect throughout the week on these items.
“When God’s justice falls, we are offended because we think God owes perpetual mercy. We must not take His grace for granted. We must never lose our capacity to be amazed by grace”
― R.C. Sproul, quote from The Holiness of God
Bible Reading
Deuteronomy 1-9
Old Testament
(Two-year plan)
John 18-Acts 1
New Testament
(One-year plan)
Liturgy – New City Catechism
Question 18: Will God allow our disobedience and idolatry to go unpunished?
No, every sin is against the sovereignty, holiness, and goodness of God, and against his righteous law, and God is righteously angry with our sins and will punish them in his just judgment both in this life, and in the life to come.
Ephesians 5:5-6
For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
Prayer
Heavenly Father. My fatith seems so weak and small in the face of all that the world constantly assaults me with on a daily basis. There is an ever present bombardment of immorality and impurity working to penetrate my heart. There is glorification of covetousness that pervades my mind continually. This world is constantly working against the kingdom of Christ and your holy glory.
My heart and mind succomb to this onslaught at times. There is immorality and impurity calling out to me. There is coveteousness working to deceive me. My faith seems so fragile in the face of these enemies against your Holy Law. I am weak and in need of your continual mercy and grace.
So hold me Jesus. Hold me close to your chest and let me feel the warm of your love flow in and through me at all times. Wash my feet as they become dirtied walking through this world. Cleanse me with your blood of forgiveness. Let me not be cast away from you. Let my sin not linger and fester within my heart. Bring the light of your gospel and glory into my midst and show me my falsehoods and unbelief. Bring me to repentance and restore me in your grace. Let me fall into the hands of my merciful Savior who loves me completely and has taken all my sin upon himself and has given me His very own righteousness. This same Savior who now abides in my heart!
Worship
Hold Me Jesus
“Well sometimes my life just don’t make sense at all
When the mountains look so big
And my faith just seems so small
So hold me Jesus ’cause I’m shaking like a leaf
You have been King of my glory
Won’t You be my Prince of Peace
And I wake up in the night and feel the dark
It’s so hot inside my soul
I swear there must be blisters on my heart
So hold me Jesus ’cause I’m shaking like a leaf
You have been King of my glory
Won’t You be my Prince of Peace
Surrender don’t come natural to me
I’d rather fight You for something I don’t really want
Than to take what You give that I need
And I’ve beat my head against so many walls
Now I’m falling down I’m falling on my knees
And this Salvation Army band is playing this hymn
And Your grace rings out so deep
It makes my resistance seem so thin
I’m singing hold me Jesus ’cause I’m shaking like a leaf
You have been King of my glory
Won’t You be my Prince of Peace
You have been King of my glory
Won’t You be my Prince of Peace “