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 30
Reflect:
Proverbs 30:15
15The leech has two suckers that cry out, “More, more!”
Have you ever seen one of those movies where the star of the show ends up walking through nasty brackish water like a swamp or something like that only to come out of the water and discover that leeches have attached themselves to their legs and back! It freaks them out as they frantically work to get the leeches off. It freaks us out too! Even as I write this, the thought of it all repulses me!
Why the leech? Because once it attaches to its host, it sucks blood from the host until the leech appears to be overfull. It’s like they’re never satisfied. The writer is using the leech to vividly describe those who attach themselves to another and consume without contributing. Rather than looking to be a blessing, they continuously cry out, “Give! Give!” They are happy to drain another’s resources without giving anything in return.
The vices in this proverb are greed and self-centeredness. These are sneaky vices and, if we’re not careful, they can work their way into our lives. We have to be vigilant and fight against them; we can’t give them a foothold.
So how do we do it? We go back to the basics. We follow Jesus’ teachings and live a gospel-centered life. Jesus said that if you desire to save your life, you’ll lose it, but if you lose your life for His sake, you’ll find it (See Matt. 16:25).
Respond:
Don’t be like the leech—give your life away for the gospel! “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV) Living like this keeps us from living selfishly.
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 28:13
Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.