River's Edge Community Church

Monday is a day of reading for repentance, a day where we confess our sins and receive God’s grace, pardon and mercy in abundance.

My prayer goal for this week is _______________________________________.


Let’s pray:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.


Read the following passage from Titus 2:9-14:
      Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive. For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.


Pray Psalm 139:23-24 as you reflect upon this passage.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.


Lead us. . .
Reading for repentance involves the following eight steps (Surprise!):

• See yourself in the Text (which words jump off the page and confront you in this passage?).
• Uncover your idols (In what false hopes are trusting? What things do you believe you need to have to be happy in life? Where do you feel justified in your actions? What empowers your sin?).
• Reverse direction (What would it mean to turn away from your sin and pursue God?).
• Pray and ask, “What would growth look like?”
• Receive God’s grace and pardon.
• Inhale God’s beauty, goodness and love.
• Savor God’s mercy
• and Endeavor to live in newness of life (Live your repentance out loud).


Today, we want to focus on the first four steps. Answer the following questions:
1. Where do you see yourself in the text (what in this passage shows you your sin?)?
2. What idol(s) empower this sin (What fuels this sin? What is it you hope to attain by doing this? In what are you seeking and in what are you placing your trust?)?
3. Having identified your sin and uncovered at least one idol, what would it mean to face this sin, take responsibility for it and repent of it?
4. What would growth look like for you (e.g., the first paragraph of our text deals with a slave who has stolen from his master. If that was your sin, besides not stealing any more, growth might involve learning the art of contentment, developing a healthy work ethic, showing respect to your employer, etc.)?


Receiving God’s Pardon:
The first question in the Heidelberg Catechism asks: "What do you believe concerning the forgiveness of sins?” Here is the answer:
A: That, for the sake of Christ’s reconciling work, God will no more remember my sins or the sinfulness with which I have to struggle all my life long; but that he graciously imparts to me the righteousness of Christ so that I may never come into condemnation.

THE PSALMIST SAYS (Psalm 32)
Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"--and you forgave the guilt of my sin.


What One Thing Can You Do Today?
What one thing can you do during the day today to inhale God’s beauty, goodness and love and savor God’s mercy?


Prayer:
Today is Monday. Spend 2 minutes praying that God would either

Uproot a particularly stubborn sin in your life.
Pour out his grace on 3 people you feel need to experience God’s grace today.
Be gracious to you by ___________________.

Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, grant us your grace so that we may know you and love you more and more each day and love the people you put in our path. Lead us into repentance. Show us our sin and uncover our idols so that we may confess our guilt and find your mercy. Abba Father, pour out your grace upon us so that we may grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.