Opportunities to Glorify God at Home
Dear friends,
This is the first section post in a new series, Opportunities to Glorify God as Covenant Church. Today we're examining Opportunities to Glorify God at Home.
Covenant Church is a praying church.
Covenant Church is a worshiping church.
Covenant Church loves our neighbors.
How do you worship? What is your heart drawn to daily?
We all worship. But the reality is that our hearts are prone to worship something other than God. As the cares of this world press in upon us, we can be drawn to trusting in either fear and envy, or in a distorted image of God that we make in our hearts. Keep reading to find out how to make sure daily that our hearts are focused on the living and true God!
How can we as individuals of Covenant Church remain grounded and growing daily in true worship?
It's vitally important that we think on these things with joy at the opportunity to know God who has made himself known to us.
How should we think about our homes?
Our always-private spaces, or a place where we can encourage someone in the Lord?
Personally
Daily Private Prayer
”And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:5–6, ESV)
Jesus calls us to pray. It’s of the utmost importance that we dedicate time to seek God in prayer. As men and women seek God’s face in prayer, He in turn molds them into effective instruments for his glory.
We’re told in Scripture that God both hears our prayers and he answers them. As Covenant Church seeks to bring hope and joy to our cities, please pray that God would be at work in you, making you into someone who God works through for reaching people with the gospel and encouraging one another in the Lord.
At Covenant Church, we have a daily prayer calendar that covers Monday to Friday. I recommend setting aside time in the morning for prayer. Before the day gets busy, seek after God in prayer. And then we're to pray throughout the day as well, with both short prayers and long prayers as able "without ceasing." “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18, ESV).
Daily Private Bible Reading
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105, ESV)
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12, ESV)
As private prayer is of the utmost importance, so the private reading of Scripture is too of the utmost importance. To hear God's voice, we must read God's Word. It's through written Scripture that God speaks to his people. The Holy Spirit uses God's Word to shape us, to guide us, and to encourage us to cling to the Savior.
At Covenant Church, we have a Bible Reading checklist that you can print and check off as you complete each chapter. It's available for download below. I recommend setting aside time in the morning to read the Bible. This sets you up for facing the day.
As a Family (Also if single or the only Christian in your household!)
Daily Family Worship
““Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” (Deuteronomy 6:4–7, ESV)
It's a wonderful privilege to worship God daily as a family. This worship normally includes:
- Family prayer
- Family Bible reading
- Singing Psalms and hymns unto the Lord
I recommend establishing a daily pattern for this worship, aiming as a family to read a portion of God's Word aloud, pray together, and sing together at the same time each day. If your family is typically all together most often at breakfast, then do these things after breakfast. If after supper, then do these things after supper.
The denomination that Covenant Church is a part of, The Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, has developed a resource for equipping you for family worship. It's available for download below.
The Directory of Private and Family Worship above, and I, recommend that you sing the Psalms. The ARP Psalter, which is the Psalms set to music, is available for purchase at our book table or at the link below:
Crown & Covenant Publications
For musical accompaniment, this site has playable music for each of the Psalms in the Psalter:
Opening Your Home
“And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:46–47, ESV)
Christians have a wonderful opportunity to open their homes. As you get to know believers at Covenant Church, please consider inviting those whom you are meeting into your home for a meal, game night, movie night, Bible study, prayer time, hymn sing, or something else to God's glory.
The same invitation of course can and should be extended to your neighbors, colleagues, friends, and people you meet in the community.
It's very possible that the best time to have someone over is between morning and evening worship.
I believe that God is greatly glorified as we use what he's given us to encourage one another and build up one another.
As always, I'm available to talk with you about these things. I'm very encouraged by all of you!
-Pastor Brooks
