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 26
Reflect:
Proverbs 26:23
23 Like a coating of silver dross on earthenware
are fervent lips with an evil heart.
As we’ve seen over the last few months, words are powerful. Here in this proverb, we discover that smooth words can hide a wicked heart in the same way a beautiful glaze can cover a clay pot. A plate made of clay is rough, but when glazed, it appears to be smooth, glossy and attractive. This coating is paper thin; it doesn’t take much to chip it off and see what the plate is really made of underneath.
Hypocritical speech is the main point of this proverb. Words can hide a wicked heart. This is what Jesus was getting at when he confronted the Pharisees and religious leaders in Matthew 23. They were more concerned with the “outside” of a dish than they were with the inside. Jesus said they were like white-washed tombs, beautiful on the outside but dead on the inside. Outwardly, they did the right kinds of things, but inwardly they were full of corruption and greed.
What we do and say matters. Both our words and actions should be in line with one another; we can’t neglect one in favor of the other. As believers, we’ve been cleaned up (so to speak) on the inside because of God’s free gift of grace through faith in Christ Jesus! We’ve been made new on the inside, and what’s now inside us should flow out to others.
Respond:
Determine to make sure that what is on the inside matches what’s on the outside.
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 24:3-4
By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.