Family Values: Part 3 - 'Commitment'
This Sunday, Simon Lace brings us the talk in the latest of our EBC services. We encourage you to reflect on the bible text and join us in the prayer that follows below.
Here are some questions to consider:
Readings:
Acts chapter 20 verses 18 - 24
When they arrived he declared, “You know that from the day I set foot in the province of Asia until now I have done the Lord’s work humbly and with many tears. I have endured the trials that came to me from the plots of the Jews. I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes. I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike—the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus.
“And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me, except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.”
1 Corinthians chapter 13 verses 4 - 8
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!
Prayer and Reflection:
Loving God
We’re sorry that we mess up, even when we want to follow you and love you, we mess up. We’re sorry that we mess up even though we want to love other people. So, for the times we’ve faltered in following you, and for the times we’ve hurt people instead of helping them, forgive us dear Lord. And God, for those of us who are husbands and fathers, help us to be fully committed to our wives and children. Help us to love them as You love your church – sacrificially, tenderly and completely. Lord, if fathers or others in our lives have hurt us, intentionally or otherwise, help us to forgive them completely. Bring healing and hope, Father. Dear Father, we ask for a fresh and powerful move of Your Holy Spirit in this place and in each of us. That you would anoint and empower us afresh and anew to share the Good News about Jesus and the wonderful grace of God.
We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Questions to Consider
1. Whom do you most admire for their commitment to someone or something, in the face of adversity?
2. What are the things and who are the people that you are committed to?
3. What unexpected trials have you faced that have tested your commitment?
4. How has God helped you – and what help do you need today?
5. Do you believe that Jesus is faithful and trustworthy? Do you believe that God loves you?
6. Have you confessed your struggles and sins to God and asked His forgiveness?
7. Are you committed to seeking God’s help?
8. Are you committed to sharing the Good News about the wonderful grace of God with the people you encounter? When did you last do so? Do you need God’s help in this too – and have you asked Him for help?