Week of January 17, 2010

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Psalm for Prayer and Praise: Psalm 15 (ESV)

1 O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent?

Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart;

3 who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend;

4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD; who swears to his own hurt and does not change;

5 who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.

Suggested Baptist Catechism Questions:

Question 50: What is it to repent?

To be sorry for sin, and to hate and forsake it because it is displeasing to God.

(Lk 19:8-10; Rom 6:1-2; 2 Cor 7:9-11; 1 Thess 1:9-10)

Question 51: What is it to believe in Christ?

To trust in Christ alone for salvation.

(Jn 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Tim 2:5; 1 Jn 5:11-12)

Question 52: Can you repent and believe in Christ by your own power?

No. I can do nothing good without God’s Holy Spirit.

(John 3:5, 6; 6:44; Romans 8:2, 5, 8-11; 1 Corinthians 2:9-14; Galatians 5:17, 18; Ephesians 2:4-6)

Praying through the Psalms

Week of January 17, 2010

Day 1 ~ Fellowship with God

Read: Psalm 15, focus today on verses 1 & 2

Consider:

For Adults: What does it mean to dwell with God? How is your fellowship with Him? What are the standards that God requires?

Older children: Who is only person who ever was truly “blameless?” What does that mean?

Younger children: How does God feel about lying? How often should we speak “the truth?”

Family Application: Talk about what is means to fellowship with God and what God requires of a person to be in fellowship with them. Consider how the Gospel offers sinners a way to be “blameless” before God and how Jesus provides “blamelessness” to lose who repent and believe.

Pray: Pray through the first 2 verses of Psalm 15. Praise God that He has made a way for sinners to be “blameless” before Him through the work of Jesus. Ask God to deepen your fellowship with Him by leading you into Christ-likeness. Pray that God would give you a deep love for the truth and that He would help you to be like Jesus in truth-telling.

Meditate: Write this week’s memory verses on a white board in your home and/or on index cards that each family member can carry with them during the week.

Day 2 ~ Loving Good and Hating Evil

Read: Psalm 15, focus today on verses 3-4

Consider:

For Adults: What are the characteristics of one who walks in fellowship with God that are seen in these verses? Are these virtues increasing in your life? Could your fellowship with God be hindered by not keeping your word to others?

Older children: What could it mean to despise a vile person? What should our attitude be toward sinful behavior in ourselves and others?

Younger children: How should we talk about others? Can we hurt people by the things we say?

Family Application: Consider together how important our relationships with other people are to our relationship to God. If liars and promise-breakers do not dwell “on the hill of the Lord,” then what does that tell us about how God wants us to honor Him in our relationships with one another?

Pray: Pray through verses 3 -5 of Psalm 15. Praise God that He cares about people and how we treat one another. Pray that God would reveal to you any ways in which you have slandered others and ask Him to help you make amends if necessary. Ask God to help you to become more like Jesus in your faithfulness to Him and to others.

Meditate: See if anyone in the family can quote this week’s memory verse. Make new note cards of any of the cards from Day 1 that may have been lost.

Day 3 ~ Kindness towards others

Read: Psalm 15, focus today on verse 5

Consider:

For Adults: What does it mean to take a bribe against the innocent? Have you ever been tempted to take advantage of the weakness of another for personal gain?

Older children: What does God expect us to do with the blessings He gives us? How can we honor Him with our money?

Younger children: What is a bribe? Do bribes please God?

Family Application: Talk about how God has called Christians to help the weak by both sharing our blessings with them and by defending them from those who would take advantage of them. Consider together how important it is that laws protect the “innocent” and consider what Christians should do to support justice in their local governments.

Pray: Pray through verse 5 of Psalm 15. Praise God again for sending Christ to perfectly fulfill the righteousness that the law requires on the behalf of all of those who come to Him in repentance and faith. Ask God to grow the character of Christ in you in order that joy in God and your fellowship with Him will be ever increasing.

Meditate: See again if anyone in the family can quote this week’s memory verse. Talk about any ways that this verse has encouraged or taught you this week.

Scripture Memory for the Week: Psalm 15:1&2

O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent?

Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

He who walks blamelessly and does what is right

and speaks truth in his heart.

Hymn of the Week

All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name

SOURCE: Morningview Baptist Church