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 5
Reflect:
Proverbs 5:15
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
running water from your own well.
Proverbs 5 serves as a warning against adultery, as well as espousing the rewards of marital faithfulness and moral purity. Clearly, promiscuity is to be avoided. The father wants his son to love his wife and be faithful to her. The father is pretty straightforward; he’s using all of his rhetorical persuasion as best he can because he knows how great the temptation is. The lure of sexual pleasure and satisfaction, free from the bonds of marriage, is a façade—it’s like fake news! The truth is this: behind its appearance lies ruin and misery. Adulterous relationships result in tremendous pain and hurt. This is why the father says, “Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well.”
The words cistern, water, and well all refer to one’s wife; she is likened to water because water is the thing that most refreshes a thirsty man. (Hale) It’s like the father is saying, “Son, listen to me! Let your wife be the source of your refreshment and pleasure.” Later on in the proverb, he’ll even say, “Rejoice in the wife of your youth.” (verse 18)
So how do we do this? How do we keep from falling into adultery? There are two things we must do. First, we must guard our hearts: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” You’ve got to I.D. your thoughts and if they don’t have the proper clearance, run them off. Remember what Terry’s told us, “We can’t keep the birds from flying over our heads, but we can keep them from nesting on our heads!”
The second thing we can do is to make investments in our marriages. Our hearts follow our investments. It’s true: we love what we do and what we give our attention to. All of this shapes us into the people God has called us to be. Guarding our hearts and making right investments allow us to be abundantly refreshed by our own cisterns.
Respond:
How is your thought life: Are there thoughts that need to be run off? What are you doing to invest in your marriage?
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 26:27
Whoever digs a pit will fall into it; if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them.