Week 31 Day 4
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:
“Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world.” The well-known children’s song is well-grounded in Scripture. Jesus demonstrated his love for children in practical ways. But there is a sense in which all people are children before God, no matter their age. In Hosea, God spoke of the nation of Israel as his child: “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son” (Hosea 11:1). Of course, there is a greater degree of accountability before God as we age, but we never stop being children in relationship to God. This perspective should lead to humility. Small children are not naturally humble as in the character quality of humility. They do, however, live in “positional” humility. They have little power, skill, or ability. They mostly have needs. They live in a humble place. As adults, humility is something we must choose to grow in. Humility understands that in spite of any increase in power, knowledge, wealth, or prestige, we remain like children with utter dependence on God for life and ultimate salvation. No matter what your age, you live before God in positional humility. You are not truly strong, smart, or good. You are a child before him and always will be. Reflect on your position of humility so that you might move farther into the character of a humble person. Reflect on the fact that God is your Father and you will always be a child. Then go interact with the people in your life with a humility-empowered perspective.
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. (Psalm 103:8-14)
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.