Week 47 Day 1
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
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. 1 John 3:2-3
Reflect
A very important principle for understanding the Bible and the Christian life has been termed “The already/Not yet” reality of the Kingdom of God. This simple means that when you read the Bible you see much that is stated as a present reality and much that seems to be yet in the future. This is because we are, as believers, already changed and are yet to be fully changed. The Kingdom of God (the reign of Christ in the hearts of people and the world at large) is already here and is not yet here fully realized. It is important to keep this in mind, both as you read the Bible and as you consider the implications for your faith in your day to day life. This passage from 1 John is an example of this already/not yet for us.
Respond
Read today’s passage through the lens of the “already/not yet”. Think of things in your life that give indication that Christ’s reign has already come and then consider things that demonstrate it is not yet here in its fullness. Today, you have the opportunity to think, pray, and live in a way that his kingdom will more fully come into your life.
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:
Habakkuk 3:17-18
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.