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 10
Reflect:
Proverbs 10:32
32The lips of the righteous know what is appropriate,
but the mouth of the wicked, only what is perverse.
I’m reflecting on this proverb as we finish the first week of phase 1 for reopening Kansas. Needless to say, there are a lot of opinions out there about how this all should be done. Some folks have been pretty harsh and opinionated, and some even downright mean. I’m sure you’ve heard some of it; you may have even participated in it.
Now more than ever, we need to make sure that we are guarding our hearts. Remember, our words originate from our hearts, and it’s from the overflow of the heart that the mouth speaks. Oswald Chambers said, “The greatest test of a man’s character is his tongue.” Think about that for a moment. What does your tongue reveal about your character? That’s a sobering question we must all wrestle with.
As Christians, we are called to discipline ourselves and shape our hearts to Christ’s image. In other words, we’re to walk in the wisdom of Christ. We can never forget that Godly wisdom guides us to say what is appropriate for the circumstances and will win the approval of God and others. (Longman)
Respond:
Take charge of what comes out of your mouth today. Let wisdom guide you in saying only what is appropriate. “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.” (Colossians 4:6 CSB)
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 29:18
Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.