Week 41 Day 5
I. Prayer to enter the Lord’s presence:
Be still for a moment. “Lord, I give the day that is now past to you. It is yours. I give the day that is to come to you; help me to see where you are working and to join you there. Speak to me during these moments. I commit them and myself to you.”
II. Prayer of Confession:
“Lord, you are faithful to forgive me and cleanse me of my sin when I confess it to you. I confess my sin(s) of ______________. Thank you for forgiveness.” (1 John 1:9)
III. Prayer of Thanksgiving:
Choose to be thankful, speak out loud of what God has done.
“Thank you, Father, for _________________. Fill my heart and my mouth with gratitude throughout this day.”
IV. Scripture Reflection
Read
1 John 4:7-13 Dear friends, let us love one another for love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us. He sent his one and only son into the world that we might live through him. This is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God. But if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
Reflect
We are obligated to love one another. Obligation sounds like a “bad word.” We do not like to be obligated. For the person who has received God’s love, an obligation to love others is a delight. When we love others we experience God living in us and His love is made complete in us. We are not loving out of lack but rather out of the resources God has given. As we give love, we experience more of God. Loving others is a way for us to be filled anew with God’s love and presence. Who will you love and how will you love? Can you give love that is costly? One way to give love is to give someone your attention. We live in a world full of distractions and full of things vying for our attention. Can you give costly love today by being present with people? Give people your attention. Remember they are made in God’s image so they are people of value.
Respond
Who will you give your attention to today? Think about your day. Think of the situations and people you are likely to encounter. Commit to give your full attention to the people you interact with today. Thank God that He paid attention to you and made Himself known to you.
V. Prayer for others:
Pray specifically for the concerns of your life and the lives of others.
VI. Prayer of commitment:
“Lord God, I commit to love you with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my strength and with all my mind and to love my neighbor as myself. Empower me today to love you and others with everything that I am.” (Luke 10:27)
This Month’s Scripture Memory:
Hebrews 12:1-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.