Morning Prayer
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
Inspiration
So many of Paul's letters begin or end with a prayer for God's grace. Here, Paul specifically mentions the "spirit. " It is far more important that our spirits benefit from God's grace than that our bodies do so. A concern with the spiritual over the physical is a mark of true Christian spirituality.
Prayer
My God, it is you whom I look to for the grace to strengthen and encourage my spirit, even in the midst of the pressures and trials of life. Your grace is powerful, undeserved favor that transforms us. If we could sum up the teaching of the New Testament in one word, that word would surely be "grace." Let us, then, ever seek it and rely on it. 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.
