Morning Prayer
He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
Inspiration
Darkness and light cannot occupy the same space, since darkness is the absence of light. The same is true of the spiritual light of love. If we harbor hate towards others, we remain in darkness. Only the love of God can overcome this darkness. So let us seek God and His love, and drive out all darkness from our hearts.
Prayer
Lord, You are a God of love, and Your love is light. Search my heart and reveal any darkness that hides there. Forgive me for holding on to hate. Fill me anew with Your Spirit and Your love, and teach me to love others the way that You love me. Give me eyes to see Your image in those around me so that my heart may be renewed. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Night Prayer
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Inspiration
We despise the thought of a pile of dirty dishes in the sink. The outside is easy to clean; it's the caked-up residue on the inside that's so difficult to remove. Jesus compares the scribes and Pharisees with dishes that have been wiped clean on the outside while dirty inside. The Pharisees took exceptional care of their outward appearance and neglected their inward spirits. We are guilty of allowing our hearts to be left filthy as well. We look and act as we should while our souls are full of darkness. We must continue to converse with the Holy Spirit daily and trust His guidance to cleanse our sinful nature.
Prayer
Dear God, Please forgive our sinful nature. We yearn for cleansing from within, so we are genuine witnesses to Your name. In Jesus' Name, Amen.