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 7
Reflect:
Proverbs 7:3
3 Bind them [my commands/instructions] on your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
Here the father uses powerful imagery to drive home the importance of embracing his commands and instructions. The son is to bind these godly precepts like rings on fingers and keep them always before his eyes. Writing these commands on his heart meant he had to internalize them, metabolizing them, until they permeate every part of his being.
Today we might say something like, “write these commands on your phone… text them to yourself.” Right away, you know what I’m implying! Our phones are always in our hands. It sometimes seems as if our phones function like an extra limb on our bodies. It’s continuously near us. It’s in our pocket or backpack, on the nightstand by our bed, in the car directing us to our next destination point, notifying us of our next appointment, local weather, email, text, and breaking news! It’s said that the average person touches their smartphone more than 2,600 times a day. That is everything from typing texts, swiping on Tinder, turning Kindle pages, and scrolling on Facebook.
The point is we do a lot on our phones, and if we spend this much time doing things on our phone, we should put the same effort into holding on to God’s Word. Reflecting on it, regularly putting it into practice, helps us internalize wisdom and build godly character. What we think about regularly affects what we do, and what we do regularly produces habits, and ultimately determines our character. A regular, consistent, and intentional focus on God’s truth protects against a multitude of sins.
Respond:
What are you regularly focusing your attention on, and why? What could you tangibly do today, to bind God’s Word to your fingers, to write it on the tablet of your heart? What are you doing to treasure God’s Word regularly?
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 14:12
There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.