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Closing the Gap 8.8.18

Week 31 Day 3

Pray:

Ask God to reorient you to Himself. Confess any known sin. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Be still and reflect on Jesus and His sacrifice for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to God’s Word. Pray for others in your life that they, too, would know and love God today.

Read:

Mark 10:13-16 People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

Reflect:

Small children are “stream of consciousness” talkers.  What is in their minds is coming out of their mouths. This is not good practice for adults, but it is endearing in a child.  Adults should learn to filter their thoughts before they put them into words. If they do not, they are foolish and can cause great damage.  There is an exception to this. In prayer, adults should relearn the childlike practice of “mind to mouth” communication. It’s not that we shouldn’t be thoughtful in prayer.  We should. It’s not that everything we think is good to say. It’s not. It is more about remembering that God knows what is on our minds before we can speak it anyway. It can be very helpful to be honest with what is really going on in our heads.  If a complaint is in our minds, then it can be good to talk to God about it. Not that our complaints are always valid, but rather it is good to talk with God about them. If doubt is in our minds, then talk to God about your doubts. Just because it is in our minds and our mouths, it does not mean we are considering it valid.  But when we come to God like a child, telling him everything (even though he knows it already) the conversation can change. It can become less routine and more real. It can become more heartfelt and honest. It can open us up to what is actually true about God and our current situation, not just what we are currently thinking and feeling is true.  If you have trained yourself to be careful with your words, you have done well. Now, in prayer train yourself to be honest with your words. It’s never good or right to slander or accuse God of wrong. But if you are struggling to understand why he allowed or caused something, it is good to talk with him about that struggle. A child will talk with anyone they trust about virtually anything.  A mature and loving adult does not despise the child for this, they love them for it. In your conversational relationship with God do you need to become more childlike? Start now. Talk to God about what is really on your mind. Perhaps you will be positioned to hear what is really on his.

Pray:

(Personalize this prayer today; make it specific to the circumstances that face you.)

Ask God to lead you through His Spirit as you go through your day. Ask Him to bring to mind the truth of the gospel and its implications for what you will encounter today. Tell Him “Yes” to His will and ask Him for His power and protection to live this “yes.” Ask God to create and reveal opportunities to proclaim the good news today.

 

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