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 27
Reflect:
Proverbs 27:3
3 Stone is heavy and sand a burden,
but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.
Recently, I was moving 5-gallon buckets filled with sand. I want you to know they were heavy! I moved 6 buckets, two at a time, about 50 yards. It was exhausting! And it was painful too because the plastic handles had broken, and all there was to hold onto was a thin metal handle that seemed to cut into my fingers.
You might be wondering why I’m telling you this story. Well, it’s because sometimes the provocation of a fool can be harder to put up with than the heavy physical burden of carrying sand or moving a heavy stone. The mental effort it takes to deal with a fool can be just as exhausting as moving heavy weight.
Respond:
Do not react to a fool even when the fool’s actions and words are irritating.
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 16:18
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.