Morning Prayer
He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
Inspiration
Have you noticed that just hearing God's word is not enough? No matter how many sermons you listen to or how many times you read the Bible, if your heart is not tuned to the Word, it will not change you from the inside out. What sorts of things can be distractors from allowing God's word to be fruitful in our lives? Worries about the world, wealth, pride – just to name a few. When we focus on the worries of the world or grow materialistic, we will not grow in our relationship with God.
Prayer
Dear God, help me not to be like the man who heard your Word but became more concerned about the worries of the world and the pleasures of wealth that he became unfruitful. When I do sin by not placing my trust in you, forgive me and redirect me. Lord, I want to grow stronger in my relationship with you – not move further from your goodness. Help me to hear and to act according to your word, O Lord. May I produce good fruit because my heart desires you above all else. 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.
