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 21
Reflect:
Proverbs 21:2
2 A person may think their own ways are right,
but the Lord weighs the heart.
This proverb hits right at the central issue of most of our problems—us! We tend to be more critical of others than we are critical of ourselves. We can manage to misconstrue our motives. We can twist a situation to fit within our desires. We can talk ourselves into believing what we’re doing is right. We tend to justify our ways in our own eyes. We begin to rationalize our actions without weighing them rightly against God’s righteous standards. We choose our wisdom over God’s wisdom, and every time we do this, it’s a mistake!
This proverb is a warning against wrong choices. It is the deep desires of our heart that determine whether we are innocent in God’s sight or not. We must choose rightly to weigh our motives in light of God’s reality. The truth of the matter is, we are limited in our knowledge and control of any given situation. Yes, our choices matter – we do have limited control – but ultimately, all things are in God’s hands.
The good news for us is that God is concerned with our ways—our motives! The best thing we could do is to make sure that our purposes are in line with His will. We can never forget that He is the one who weighs the heart. We need to get this right, it’s crucial.
Respond:
So what about those deep desires within your heart, are you weighing them rightly? Are your plans in line with God’s truth? Is your attitude pleasing to God?
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 31:10
A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.