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 29
Reflect:
Proverbs 29:6
6 An evil person is caught by sin,
but the righteous one sings and rejoices. (NLT)
“An evil person is caught by sin…,” In other words, all their conniving and scheming will come back on them like a boomerang. Galatians 6:7-8 says, “Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a person sows he will also reap, because the one who sows to his flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.” (CSB) The principle is this: you’ll harvest the consequences of your actions. All of us will have to deal with this reality. The truth is, God can’t be fooled! Yet somehow, when we sin, we think no one will know and nobody can see us. This is the epitome of foolishness because God sees what we’re doing! No one can treat God with contempt—that’s what we do when we sin and go against his commands—and get away with it.
As the book of Proverbs makes clear, the righteous person is a person who fears the Lord, chooses wisdom, and walks in righteousness. They’re the ones that sing and rejoice! Why? Because they are experiencing a truly abundant life. They’re living life the way it was intended to be lived: in right relationship with God and others. They can handle any challenge with courage; they can look ahead with a joyful heart for they know that the Lord is on their side. This is why the righteous can sing and be glad, with a clear conscious and a joyful heart!
Respond:
Think back to the Galatians passage we just read. Determine today what kind of seed you’re going to plant. Plant seeds of righteousness. Plant to please God so you can harvest joy and everlasting life!
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 23:12
Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.