With the age of social media, the individual has never been more central to their own story. I grow more surprised that people make themselves the main focus of life and invite others to do the same. So when negative things happen, they begin to look outwardly to find the culprit of their misfortune. James gives a word of caution to those who might want to make God the culprit of their issues.
Welcome back to NCC Daily. We are walking through the book of James as part of a next-level look alongside our sermon series Rule of Life. Today, let’s look at James 1:5-8.
Those of us who have had our hearts captured and arrested by Jesus, we desire to grow closer to him so that we think, speak, and behave as he did. At NCC, we call that discipleship. Studiers of the words of Jesus, imitators of the ways of Jesus, and partners in the mission of Jesus. As we embark on this journey, we ought to look more and more like Jesus. The pure reflection of Jesus should be seen in our lives.
Many if not most of us place joy and happiness in the same place. Happy things produce joy and vice versa, but this is not what James is saying. The first thing James wants to do with any of his readers is reframe what our greatest desire in life is supposed to be.
As I sing this song, “You Were On The Cross” my prayer is that we will once again come face to face with the suffering that Christ endured on behalf of us. What greater love has been poured out than by Jesus on the cross.
To fast is powerful in part because we are choosing to step into suffering. It’s counterintuitive and requires a death of ego, a death of self. To fast is to choose to suffer physical pain—however small. Fasting is an opportunity to enter into solidarity with Christ’s suffering, who was in solidarity with ours.
The Stations of the Cross is a traditional Lenten devotion where believers read Scripture and ponder scenes from the day of Jesus’s death. These stations, or scenes, help guide our prayers as we meditate on Christ’s sacrifice for us.
I invite you to lean back into the arms of The Father. Abba. Love of all. Yet lean in. Posture your heart. Your ear…
Today we reflect on John 12:20-36 and Psalm 71:1-8, 19-23
Join me in worship today with a song, “Son of David” by Hillsong Worship. A song about repentance and restoration that feels especially appropriate for this Lenten season.
In this season of fasting, what is the Holy Spirit deactivating, reactivating, and activating within your own heart?
I want to talk about the idea that being a follower of Jesus means that we are a student of His words, an imitator of His ways, and a partner in His mission. Becoming a student of the words of Jesus means we are intentional about the spiritual discipline of engaging the text of Scripture in a variety of ways so that we can understand it, internalize it, articulate it, and activate it in our lives.
Today, I’m going to help guide us through The Prayer of Confession from the "Book of Common Prayer”.
Today we meditate on Luke 19 and Psalm 150.
Today we worship with a song from Pastor Josh.
Fasting as a means of worship is another way that we cultivate a spiritual habit of bringing a sacrifice of praise. Fasting is following in the way of Jesus by denying ourselves. It is a way to put some skin in the game for our worship life.
Today as we continue in our series of Lent, I’d like to share a little about the discipline of service.
Watch and pray. As we progress through lent we will come to encounter Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane the place where he prays so hard he sweats blood. I’ve never prayed that hard. As I think about this part of the passion, I am reflecting on the fact that Jesus brings three of His friends with Him in His hour of need — hoping they too will pray.
Today we meditate on Luke 19:1-10 and Psalm 27 read by Dee Jackson.
Today we listen and meditate to a Lent hymn sung by our very own Sarah Tebi.
We are standing in the gap today and allowing our prayers to build bridges between the present moment and future destiny.
True confession recognizes that God’s mercy and love are always extended toward us. Our beloved-ness is a foregone conclusion. When we confess, we earn nothing…we simply recognize and receive the gift already offered to us.
Prayers of lament are full of dissonance. When we confront the Creator of the Universe with our questions, our whys, and our hows, it can feel so uncomfortable—as though we are too close, too raw, too emotional, and too naked before The Almighty God. But as I read through the Psalms, I am reminded that God actually welcomes this posture—The King of Kings can handle our nakedness.
Today we meditate on the words of Scripture read by Lora Batterson.
I’m about to sing a song called “Waiting” and I just want to invite you to sit in this space as we are in this season of Lent — walking the ways of Jesus through the wilderness. I pray that God would speak to you as you hear this song today.
Nothing has grown my faith in the middle of trial by fire more than fasting. It’s this kind of fast that will break the stronghold of the enemy. If you’re going into a spiritual battle, consecrate a fast.
I encourage you especially in the season of Lent to practice even a few minutes of silence or perhaps 20 minutes of silence in your regular prayer time but also to accept God's invitation to follow Jesus's example and slip away, carve out some time for solitude with God.
Lent is a season that offers us an invitation to consider how the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus sheds light on how we ought to move through the seasons of life marked by living, dying, and rising.
Today we meditate on Luke 4:1-21 and Psalm 91:1-2; 9-16.
Listen as Pastor Josh leads us into worship with Upper Room.
