Night Prayer
Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Inspiration
Jesus came to establish God’s kingdom, and He accomplished that work on the cross. There is no need to look to the future or to others for the coming kingdom. All who believe already have already received God’s kingdom and live now as ambassadors for our King. It is through us that the kingdom is revealed and others are invited in.
Prayer
God, You are my King. And I thank You for making me a citizen of Your great kingdom. Fill me with Your Spirit so that I may live for You, and others can see what life in Your kingdom is all about. Be revealed in my words and deeds so that others may know You, and use me to invite them to share in Your kingdom as well. 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.