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 10:21
21 The lips of the righteous feed many,
but fools die for lack of sense.
“The lips of the righteous feed many…” When commenting on this proverb, McDonald paraphrases it like this, “Good feeds itself and others. Evil can’t keep himself alive.”
In other words, the righteous nourish and benefit others spiritually with the words they speak. On the other hand, the fool rattles on about anything and everything—nonsense is what pours out of his mouth—his words are like empty calories, there’s no nourishment in them at all. Their words leave people spiritually hungry and starving.
How do we feed people with our words? We look for opportunities to speak words to others that encourage, edify, and build up. The verb “feed” is often translated “to shepherd” in other contexts. The picture the proverb draws is of the righteous person guiding listeners to refreshing pastures. They do this not just for themselves or even for one other person, but for many. The righteous, thus, build community. (Longman)
Respond:
What kind of words are you using? Are your words nourishing?
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 12:11
Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.