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 14
Reflect:
Proverbs 14:3
3 The proud speech of a fool brings a rod of discipline,
but the lips of the wise protect them.
Wise speech! We need it more now than ever. With all the craziness and uncertainty brought about with the coronavirus, self-appointed experts seem to be everywhere. I was in line at Sam’s yesterday listening to the guy behind me “waxing eloquent” (in his own mind) about how all of this commotion is just propaganda, and everyone just needed to lighten up. I thought, “how foolish this guy sounds.” Think about it. He’s got all the answers for this global pandemic, and the world’s leading health experts are just idiots. Now I don’t know this guy, but I venture to say he’s got about as much training in infectious disease as I do—zero!
Therein lies the rub: prideful lips can make fools out of us! Sadly, I don’t think we’re aware of how pride can subtly work its way into our lives. It’s not good. Not guarding our lips can lead one to be arrogant. It hardens us and makes us thickheaded and all the things that are associated with foolishness. If you’re reading this devotion, I know you don’t want to live like a fool. We want to live and walk in the protection that can only be found on the path of wisdom.
Respond:
Our tongues show what is in our hearts. The wise are protected by their speech. We don’t want to allow pride to take root and have its shoots begin to grow up from our lives. We want to be measured during times of crisis. Jesus challenges us to not be puffed up with pride, but instead to let our actions speak as we serve others around us (Matthew 23:13). Doing this helps to take our eyes off ourselves. The pridefulness of the fool keeps us from drawing close to God. We should follow James’ advice and always remember that “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:1-6).
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 23:4-5
Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.