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 13
Reflect:
Proverbs 13:20
20 Walk with the wise and become wise,
for a companion of fools suffers harm.
Derek Kidner entitles this proverb “Education by Friendship.” What an appropriate title! I think he is spot on. We all need friends if we’re going to have joy and achieve success in life. So, choosing our friends is an important matter that we should put some thought into. Why? Because a friend’s influence is powerful! The virtues or vices of those we associate with will rub off on us. That old adage, “one bad apple spoils the whole bunch” is true! The people we hang out with have a direct impact on us for good or bad.
Paul says the same when he says, “bad company corrupts good character.” (1 Cor.15:33) He’s challenging us not to let our relationships with people lead us away from Christ or cause our faith to waver. The writer of this proverb and Paul are calling us to be careful with whom we choose as our closest friends. We should spend time with people who bring out the best in us because we will likely grow to resemble each other.
Respond:
Pray that God would help you to cultivate friendships in your life. The kind of friendships that cause us to grow in Christ and become wise together.
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 30:5
Every word of God is flawless;
He is a shield to those who take refuge in him.