Morning Prayer
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
Inspiration
For Christ's sake, his disciples will be hated by all men. Why? Because they hold that he is the only Way to God, because they reject all other religions that claim to offer a path to God, because the light of God shines in their holy lives and convicts the world by the contrast, and because Satan is working in the children of disobedience to animate them in hatred against the children of God.
Prayer
May we be willing, Lord Jesus, to be hated by all for loving you; and we know that we love you only because we were first loved by you. May we not shrink from living holy for you and speaking a word in season for you for fear of man. Let us be wise as serpents but harmless as doves. (Mathew 10:16) 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.