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 26
Reflect:
Proverbs 26:11
11 As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.
This is a pretty straightforward proverb. The thought of a dog eating something, throwing it back up, and eating it again grosses me out! The idea of a person doing something like this is repulsive. It’s something we would never do—or would we?
The proverb says this is what it’s like when a fool repeats his folly. You know what folly is? It’s a stupid mistake—so to repeat that same mistake over, really is to act stupidly! A fool is a person who doesn’t learn from their mistakes, they return to their bad habits even though that habit is disgusting and has terrible outcomes.
Sometimes, if we’re honest, we can act just as foolishly. When we struggle with repeating sin patterns—by returning to our sin—it’s as if we’ve forgotten how “sick” it made us! Like a dog eating his own vomit, a fool is the one who doesn’t accept correction, they never advance, and they return to what everyone else can see is repulsive.
As followers of Jesus, we’re not called to live like a fool (2 Peter 2:22). No, it’s just the opposite, we’ve been set free in Christ (Gal. 5:1).
Respond:
Ask God to help you see your sin for what it is, to hate it, and to be disgusted by it. Don’t be a fool, but instead be a person who walks in the light of Christ—let it be evident in the way you act, speak, treat family, work, and think about 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 Week’s Scripture Memory:
Proverbs 4:23
Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.