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
Proverbs 11:23-27
23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good,
but the hope of the wicked only in wrath.
24 One man gives freely, yet gains even more;
another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.
25 A generous man will prosper;
he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
26 People curse the man who hoards grain,
but blessing crowns him who is willing to sell.
27 He who seeks good finds goodwill,
but evil comes to him who searches for it.
This passage demonstrates the “closed fist/open hand” paradox. A paradox is an apparent but not a real contradiction. The paradox is that we often believe that if we give away what we have we will have less…however if we hold on then we have less, if we give away, we have more.
How do you think this can be so?
What impact might “living with a giving” approach to others have on your contentment?
What do you find is most difficult to hold in an open hand?
What we “have” in our closed fist will eventually “have” us…we will not be free.
Does something “have” you? Do you feel the anxiety/fear/anger/unrest that comes from something “having” you?
Open your hand to God. Open your heart to God. Let his peace enter your life again.
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:
He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.
Proverbs 18:22