Morning Prayer
Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?
Inspiration
Cease from man. Man is nothing; God is all in all. Man's ways are low, crooked, and leading to death. God's ways are infinitely higher, pure, and leading to life everlasting. Every moment, every breath we take, we cannot keep our own selves alive but are fully in the hands of God. How can we trust in ourselves when we are, in fact, dependent for our very life upon Another?
Prayer
Teach us our own frailty, what it means that our breath is in our nostrils. Teach us that even the nations are less than nothing and vanity, a drop of a bucket, as the small dust upon the balancing scales that cannot affect the outcome (Isaiah 40:15). Let us cease from confidence in man and in self and put full, unwavering confidence in you, the Rock of our salvation. 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.