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 13:10
Pride leads to conflict;
those who take advice are wise. (NLT)
There it is again—pride! It’s that sense of arrogance that says, “It’s my way or the highway!” You’ve been around folks like this before. We all have. They’re the ones that think everything has to go their way; they’re not going to be kicked around. The Bible is filled with examples. Pharaoh is one example. Remember how arrogant he was, even when God displayed His miraculous signs and wonders? (Nehemiah 9:10) Then there’s the nation Israel; they were proud and stubborn and refused to pay attention to God. (Nehemiah 9:16) Even those bogus prophets who thought they knew everything and were arrogant enough to say “they spoke for God.” (Deuteronomy 18:20) Such a view of oneself leads to quarreling. It’s easy to see that pride is the vice here!
What’s to be valued is humility. The one who demonstrates humility is willing to learn and take advice. Humility is the path the wise travel down. The wise person doesn’t have to be seen as the one who has all the answers or is better than everyone else. The prudent see no need for competition—they know the value of other people around them.
Respond:
Don’t let pride raise its ugly head. Determine in your mind to be a humble person. Remind yourself of that old saying, “When you point your finger at someone else, you’ve got four other fingers pointing back at you.” Be a grace-filled person. Follow Christ’s example. Remember, Jesus was not ashamed to humble Himself as a servant (John 13:1-16), even to death on the cross (Philippians 2:8). In His humility, He was always obedient to the Father, and so should the humble Christian be willing to put aside all selfishness and submit in obedience to God and His Word. True humility produces godliness, contentment, and security.
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 9:10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.