Devotional Week 1 Day 2
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:
2 Thessalonians 1:3 We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.
Reflect:
Who is the “you” that we ought to always give thanks for? It is our brothers. In the New Testament the plural form of “brothers” regularly refers to both men and women. We ought to give thanks for all of those in our family of faith. Not just the ones I like, respect, prefer. Not just the ones who don’t annoy me or don’t disagree with me. Not just the ones who think like me, vote like me, and “like” me. We ought to always thank God for all of the ones he has put in our family. You choose your friends, but you don’t choose your family. God chooses who will be your biological and spiritual brothers and sisters…your choice is to love them and always thank God for them. Give thanks for those who annoy you. Give thanks for those who have spoken ill of you or have been unkind to you. Give thanks…get a thankful heart…become a thankful person. Close the gap today in love and gratitude for all the ones God has put in your family.
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.