Our church building may be closed, but God’s eyes are open and his ears are attentive to our prayers (2 Chronicles 7.15).

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Opening

Speak these words out loud:

As for God, his way is perfect: the Lord’s word is flawless;
he shields all who take refuge in him.

from 2 Samuel 22.31

Today’s Proverb

Read the proverb through three or four times, slowly. Pause in-between, maybe write it out by hand – savour the words, let them speak deeply to you.

Proverbs 15.19

On first glance this appears to be one of those proverbs that is about the way things should be and one day will be. But is it?

Perhaps it is about attitude.

The thing with behaviour – especially negative behaviour – is that it seems to run in a loop, or spiral, a bit like a drug addiction. It starts small: eventually we give in to temptation after an internal fight. Then the next time we’re tempted, the internal fight doesn’t last quite as long – one more time doesn’t matter. The next time we have a half-hearted attempt to stop ourselves. The next time we acknowledge that we shouldn’t give in, while doing precisely that. The next time we think afterwards, ‘Oh yes I probably shouldn’t have done that.’ Soon we even stop thinking that – and eventually we stop thinking it was ever wrong in the first place.

That spiral is extremely common, and applies to all sorts of attitudes and behaviours – including laziness. A lazy person doesn’t necessarily start out lazy; they probably just wanted a lie-in one day! But eventually everything is a struggle, everything is too much trouble, everything is ‘blocked with thorns’ – even when it isn’t.

Are you intrigued that in this proverb the opposite of ‘lazy’ isn’t ‘hard-working’ but ‘honest’ or ‘upright’? I wonder… maybe both are on the same road? Maybe the ‘honest’ person, because they have trained themselves to be truthful with themselves, is more able to see the truth ‘out there’ as well? It’s not that highways are easy – they go uphill and downhill after all – but at least they aren’t blocked with thorns. If I’m right, the problem isn’t the highway, it’s the attitude.

So how can you improve yours?

Prayers

Pray for Five – pray for your five friends / family from Thy Kingdom Come.

Our daily prayer sheet includes the names of everyone for whom we have a signed church family directory form – and local parishes and senior church leaders. Today we are praying for:

Brown Family (Abbey, Josh, Mike, Sue)

Father, please bless them with your peace, and a deep awareness of your presence with them, every day and in every way.

We also pray for: Prayer Team

Please pray for our leaders and healthcare workers, and all those working to keep us safe, well, and fed. Please pray that people would unselfishly put others before themselves.

Church Family Prayer

Come Holy Spirit,
and make us one in heart and action,
so that we can serve God faithfully:
abounding in love,
maturing in holiness,
and seeking out the lost.
Help us grow as disciples of Jesus –
in commitment, in depth, and in number –
that we may be a blessing to Amington;
to the glory and praise of God the Father.
Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.

Closing Prayer

Unless the Lord builds the house,
the builders labour in vain.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus
the only way to the Father.

Psalm 127.1, Hebrews 12.2 & John 14.6

May Christ our Saviour give us peace.
Amen.