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: Proverbs Chapter 12
Reflect:
Proverbs 12:1
1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but one who hates correction is stupid.
Training. Training is a topic that has been talked about quite a bit over the years here at River. Training is an essential component of our walk with Christ. When we put our faith in Christ, we become a new being, it’s what we call being justified ( Eph.2:8; Rom. 3:24). But our sanctification is where training—and discipline—comes into the picture. Sanctification is the process of being made holy, resulting in a changed lifestyle for the believer.
Discipline and training go hand-in-hand in this process. 1 Timothy 4:8 tells us that “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” (NLT) Paul is comparing godliness with athletic expertise. Why? Because both require training. Training requires discipline, hard work, and sacrifice. When you watch an athlete compete, it’s easy to forget about all the hours of preparation that went into perfecting their skills. Think of Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan. It’s been said that their success was one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration! In other words, they worked harder than most others.
It also meant they had to listen to a coach, someone who would be critical of what they were doing. They had a choice to make, they could choose to blow them off and do what they felt was right, or they could listen and correct whatever it was they were doing wrong.
The same is true for us spiritually. Spiritual excellence is no accident, and the price required is discipline and hard work. It means we choose to have a willingness to listen to trusted friends, God’s Word, and the Holy Spirit’s guidance. It requires that we walk in humility. Discipline—correction or reprimand—are essential to our success and growth as Christ-followers.
Listen, we are all going to make mistakes along the way, but the question for us is how will we respond. Will we resist correction, or repent and embrace discipline? The proverb is clear—we’re to love discipline, to reject it is to be stupid.
Respond:
Determine to have a great affection towards discipline, don’t let its pinch keep you from embracing its knowledge. What could you do today to place yourself under the discipline of God? Now don’t just sit there, but respond to the work of God in your life. Learn to love discipline.
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 Week’s Scripture Memory:
Proverbs 3:5,6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.