Morning Prayer
Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren;
Inspiration
There are likely older believers in your life. Here, Paul tells Timothy not to rebuke his elders, but to come to them the way he would come to his father. Then, he tells Timothy to treat younger men as his brothers. Similarly, you can treat older believers in your life as you would a father or mother. Don't be harsh with them, but come with respect and humility. With younger believers, treat them as you would a sibling. Do not taunt or be rude to them. Do not act as though you are better than them. Rather, treat them with respect that you would want to receive from those who are older than you.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, make me respectful and humble as I interact with those older and younger than me. If I see something in their life that needs correction, give me wisdom and humility to address it. Lead me by Your Holy Spirit, and do not let me do it on my own strength. Let me correct others because I love them and You, not for selfish gain. Thank You God that You correct me in love and not wrath. Let me correct and treat others how You treat me and how I would want to be treated. 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.
