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 3
Reflect:
Proverbs 3:7-8
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.
8 This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.
Do not be wise in your own eyes! In other words, do not take excessive pride in your own wisdom! Narcissism, self-admiration, and egotism seem to be the predominant call of culture today. Everything is to be about “you.” Yet, here we find the father telling his son the complete opposite. Why? Because to make everything about yourself is to miss wisdom’s call! The father knows how pride works. It has ruined many people, and it’s no different for us today.
This warning is not some opinion or a suggestion we should think about heeding. No! It is a call for us to wake up. It challenges us to evaluate our motives and be ready to repent of pride when it raises its ugly head. We’re to take action to secure wisdom, to fasten it to our hearts. Hear me—nothing good comes from pride.
The young are particularly vulnerable to pride’s trap. The young seem to have the answer to most of life’s questions (or at least they think they do). Even sadder are those who grow old and never change. They double down on their own resources and abilities. But this is a rookie mistake – don’t you do the same!
Think about this: what do you really have control over? Oh, you and I have some power, but the further we dig down, the more we see things that we ultimately don’t control, however much we wished we did. When we look beyond ourselves, we should see how little we actually do control. King David thought about this and here’s what he said: “When I observe Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You set in place, what is man that You remember him, the son of man that You look after him?” (Psalm 8:3-4, CSB)
Being wise in our own eyes—being prideful—only leads us to rely on our strength and resources, which ultimately fall short. It’s a foolish way to live.
Lord, give us a right perspective today, we know that wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord! We want to walk in Your ways. Please help us. Help us to get rid of pride in all its many forms. If we’re going to boast, may it be in You alone!
Respond:
Ask the Lord to show you all the ways you’ve been wise in your own eyes, then repent. Determine to walk in the wisdom that only comes from the Lord.
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 31:30
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.