Tag: Bible reading

FBCD Family Worship Guide 03/29/2020

FBC Diana members,

I want to encourage you to take time for Bible reading and study, prayer, and singing again this Sunday. Family and/or personal time devoted to such things is critical to our growth as Christians. You may use any structure that seems appropriate for you and/or your family, but I recommend following the outline below.

Scripture Reading

Read Psalm 32 aloud.

Prayer

Thanks/Praise. What do you see in Psalm 32 as reasons to praise God? What specifically about God’s character or nature is praiseworthy? How might you praise God for what He has recently done in your life or for how He has shown you grace and care.

Confession. Think of ways you and others might have sinned this previous week. Don’t accuse others in your prayer, but do try to confess specific ways sin has recently been expressed (in your home and family life, on the job, in your neighborhood, and in your community).  

Supplication. Ask for God’s help in various ways. Here are some topics you might consider praying about:

  1. Pray for wisdom and courage for your pastor and others who are trying to lead and shepherd their church members well without gathering on these Sundays.
  2. Pray for persecuted Christians around the world who constantly face various challenges to their weekly gathering (i.e. not just during a pandemic).
  3. Pray that God would draw many sinners to Himself while people in our culture are generally more mindful of their mortality.
  4. Pray for our governmental leaders to wisely preserve and protect life.
  5. Pray that God would give efficiency and endurance to healthcare workers.
  6. Pray that God would help husbands and fathers to have a fresh resolve to regularly lead their wives and children in daily Bible reading and prayer.

Discussion Questions

You might spend some time simply talking through Psalm 32. And you might also use the following questions to help guide your discussion.

  1. What is the major theme or concept of this Psalm?
  2. How might you describe the words “transgression” and “iniquity”?
  3. What does it mean to have transgression forgiven or to have iniquity not counted against someone?
  4. In verses 3-4, to what “silence” referring? And why did “silence” make the psalmist feel so miserable?
  5. According to verse 5, when did relief from misery come to the psalmist? And what brought about that relief?
  6. Does confessing your sin to God and others bring relief? Explain
  7. If confessing our sin does bring relief, then why do you think we often avoid or resist confessing our sin?
  8. What do you think the psalmist is talking about in verse 6, when he says, “at a time when you may be found”?
  9. Verses 8-9 seem to be words spoken from God to the psalmist, rather than from the psalmist to God, like the rest of psalm 32. If so, what do you think God is instructing in verse 9 by saying, “Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle…”?
  10. What are some ways you can learn well from God’s instruction and cultivate self-control in your own life?
  11. Verses 10-11 seem to lump together “the one who trusts in the LORD” and the “righteous” and those “upright in heart.” Why do you think these are contrasted with “the wicked” of verse 10?
  12. How does the gospel of Jesus Christ help us to enjoy the “steadfast love” of God and “be glad in the LORD” even though we are wicked sinners?
  13. How does the ongoing presence of God in the lives of believers (i.e. Christians) help them to live righteously and with upright hearts?

Songs to Sing

You might sing some familiar songs you like, and/or you might also sing the songs presented on the following pages.

Behold Our God

Come, Behold the Wondrous Mystery

He Will Hold Me Fast

Scripture Reading

Read Psalm 33 aloud.

Prayer

Thanks/Praise. Offer thanks and praise to God for specific things that come to your mind today… maybe from recent personal experience or maybe from something in the Scripture or the songs or your discussion with others today.

Marc Minter is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Diana, TX. He and his wife, Cassie, have two sons, Micah and Malachi.

Connect with Marc on Twitter or Facebook.

The Psalms of the Day

Have you ever read the Psalms of the day?

The Bible helps us to express our emotions and focus our prayer, and this is especially true of the Psalms. What does godly sorrow sound like? How should we pray for those who are overtly attacking us? Where can we find genuine words of contrition and repentance? All of this, and much more, is in the Psalms.

I highly recommend reading the Psalms of the day. This method of daily Bible reading can be especially helpful if you are going through a tough time, if you are struggling to pray meaningfully, or if you want to grow in your love for God and your awareness of His presence and provision.

You might be thinking, “Alright, I’d like to do this, but what in the world are the Psalms of the day?” Let me offer a brief explanation.

There are 150 Psalms. Divide that by 5, and you get 30.

There are usually 30-31 days each month (Feb is the exception). So, you start by reading the Psalm number that corresponds to today’s date. The date of this post is 10/01/2019, so you would begin with Psalm 1.

Then you add 30 to the day’s date and read that Psalm. Then you add another 30, and so on until you run out of Psalms.

On the first day of the month, the readings are Psalms 1, 31, 61, 91, and 121.

On the second day, the readings are Psalms 2, 32, 62, 92, and 122.

You get the idea.

This method of reading the Psalms would have you through the whole book of Psalms in a single month. I’ve found this method a great way to lead family Bible readings, and the Psalms are a marvelous place to turn for personal devotions as well.

May God bless your reading of His word, and may your hope in Him grow deeper and stronger with every reading.

A note about Psalm 119:

Since Psalm 119 is quite lengthy (you can read it in about 10-20 minutes), you could read Psalm 119 alone on the 31st of those months with 31 days.

Or you might notice that Psalm 119 is broken down into 22 sections (one section for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet), and you could devise some other method for reading through Psalm 119 along with your other daily readings. For example, you might read one section on each weekday of the month along with the other Psalms of the day.

Marc Minter is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Diana, TX. He and his wife, Cassie, have two sons, Micah and Malachi.

Connect with Marc on Twitter or Facebook.

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