Night Prayer
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
Inspiration
In Christ, we have been given the immeasurable gift of reconciliation to God. But this is not for us to hoard and keep to ourselves. Rather, as people reconciled to God, we are now His people sent to invite others to reconciliation. We are not mere vessels of His grace and mercy, but conduits through which His grace and mercy are passed to others.
Prayer
Father, thank You for bringing me into communion with You. It gives me joy to know that I have been reconciled to my Heavenly Father. Please empower me by Your Spirit to overflow with Your love as I proclaim my joy to others, and invite them to know the joy of reconciliation with You, too. 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.