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 16
Reflect:
Proverbs 16:6
6 Unfailing love and faithfulness make atonement for sin.
By fearing the Lord, people avoid evil. (NLT)
Unfailing love and faithfulness—what a beautiful picture of God’s character. We may have glimpses of these character traits displayed in our lives, but we will never imagine them perfectly. That’s because we’re broken. Although we bear God’s image, we have been marred by sin. As much as we try, we fail to live these traits out.
But there is good news! God knew we’d fall, so He made accommodations for us. During Abraham’s time He made a promise to save His people and God took an oath to confirm the promise. And because He could call on no one greater, He swore by Himself! Our faithful God has so sworn for all who will be heirs of the promise (Tozer). God’s own accommodations were pointing to something even more significant—His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior. Through Christ, God demonstrated His love and faithfulness for all who would place their faith in Jesus. Placing our faith in Christ (fearing the Lord) saves us!
Paul puts it like this: “I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39 NLT) My word–what fantastic news! God’s promise, His unfailing love and great faithfulness provide a solid foundation for our unconditional trust in Him (Tozer).
So, what do we do with such great news? We let the love of Jesus flow out of us! We ask the Holy Spirit to help us grow in our love for God and others. We let the fruit of the spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—increase and gush out of our lives in an ever-increasing way.
Respond:
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) This is unfailing love and faithfulness. If you’ve experienced it, think about practical ways you can show a genuine love in practical, everyday interactions with those God has brought around you.
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.