River's Edge Community Church

Sunday is a day of preparation, a day to focus on what we want God to produce in us as a result of our time this week.

Peter concludes his second letter with this exhortation (2 Peter 3:17-18):
“Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”


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.


When we talk about growing in grace, we look for these signs of God’s work in us.
1. I am more deeply aware of my sin and my need for repentance, as well as God’s work of grace in my life, enabling me to receive the Gospel.
2. I am more and more motivated by grace as opposed to being driven by guilt, obligation and/or duty.
3. My love for and worship of God has increased.
4. I am being more gracious, patient and kind to the people with whom I interact.
5. I have a growing assurance that God is really my loving heavenly father who delights in me as I delight in him.
6. Gratitude towards God for all he has done for me characterizes my life more and more.


Pray through the above statements and ask God to lead you to choose one that you feel is most important to you right now for your spiritual formation. Pray that God would produce this in you in the upcoming weeks (“O God, change me. Pour out your grace upon me so that . . . .”). Pray this prayer throughout the upcoming week. Keep this request in mind as a goal so that you will be aware of opportunities that God is giving you to develop this in you.


This one thing I ask of God this week (Prayer Goal for this week), that he would transform me with his grace so that ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________.


Reflecting on God’s Grace (from the Heidelberg Catechism, questions 1 and 2)
Q: What is your only comfort in life and in death?
A. That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven: in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him

Q. What must you know to live and die in the joy of this comfort?
A. Three things: first, how great my sin and misery are; second, how I am set free from all my sins and misery; third, how I am to thank God for such deliverance.


What stands out to you in the answers to these two questions that moves you to give thanks to God for his amazing grace?

What words or lines from these answers do you want to hold on to this week?


Pray (adapted from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions):
O Divine Redeemer,
Great was your goodness
      in undertaking my redemption,
      in consenting to be made sin for me,
      in conquering all my foes.
Great was your strength
      in enduring divine wrath,
      in taking away the weight of my sins.
Great was your love
      in manifesting yourself alive
      in showing your wounds
      that every fear might vanish, and every doubt be removed.
Great was your mercy
      in ascending to heaven
      in being crowned and enthroned
           there to intercede for me,
           there to support me in temptation,
           there to receive me finally to yourself.
Great was your grace
      in adopting me to be your child so that I may call you Abba, Father
           to be united to you eternally,
           to discover in you my rest,
           to find in you my peace,
           to behold your glory
           to praise and worship you who alone is worthy;
      in giving me the Spirit as teacher, guide, advocate and strength,
           that I may live repenting of my sin,
           that I may delight in your presence,
           that I may find you as the source of all joy,
           and that I may grow in your grace all the days of my life.
When you are absent, all sorrows are here.
When you are present, all blessings are mine. Amen.


Two thoughts to keep in mind throughout the week:
“Nothing whatever pertaining to godliness and real holiness can be accomplished without grace.” (St. Augustine)

“I am not what I ought to be; I am not what I wish to be; I am not what I hope to be; but by the grace of God I am what I am.” (John Newton)


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. 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.