Night Prayer
But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
Inspiration
When Jesus gives us instructions, do we willingly obey, or do we try to negotiate? Do we want to love all of our neighbors, or do we try to select just the ones that are easy to love? We must guard against trying to bend Jesus’ words to fit our will. Instead, we must hear all of His words- even the ones that challenge us- so that we can be prepared to walk in full obedience to Him.
Prayer
Jesus, You call me to love my neighbor. And I confess that I have not loved all of my neighbors the way that You love me. I’ve looked down on some and shut others out. Please help me to see all people as my neighbors and to love them with Your love, so that I may serve You by serving whoever You place in my life. 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.
