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 22
Reflect:
Proverbs 22:27
27The generous will themselves be blessed,
for they share their food with the poor.
God calls us to be generous. Generous literally means “a good eye.” It makes me think of someone who looks for opportunities to give and show benevolence to others. And who exactly are the others? They are the poor. But don’t just think those who are financially poor, think of those Jesus spoke about in the Beatitudes: the weak, the powerless, the humble, the hungry, those who mourn. When you think of generosity from this perspective, the opportunities increase exponentially! It expands to include opportunities to be generous in all areas of our lives, our time, talents, and treasures.
What happens when we live with a generous heart towards others? We’re blessed! Think about this for a moment. Blessed here means to have divine favor invoked or enacted upon a person. In other words, the Lord Himself blesses you! Wow, that’s an awesome thought; it’s humbling! Giving our lives away for others pleases the Lord. I imagine if we could see the face of God, we’d see Him smiling!
Why give? We give because of what Christ has freely given us! We’re to give as freely as we have received (Matthew 10:8). When we stop and think of all the blessings God has showered on us, how could we not be generous to others with our time, love, and possessions?
Response:
Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. (2 Corinthians 9:6) What does it look like for you personally to give your time, talents, and treasures away? Share Christ’s love with others.
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 17:22
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.