Sing to the Lord, and praise him! Proclaim every day the good news that he has saved us (Psalm 96.2, GNB).
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Opening
Speak these words out loud:
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.
Psalm 27.14 (NIV)
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.
The way of the guilty is devious,
but the conduct of the innocent is upright. (NIV)
Guilty people walk a crooked path; the innocent do what is right. (GNB)
Proverbs 21.8
I was all prepared to write this note about walking along the ‘straight and narrow’ – a phrase we all know, but actually Jesus never said it. It comes from the King James version of Matthew 7.14: ‘strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life’. It isn’t ‘straight’ it’s ‘strait‘, as in strait-jacket, strait-laced, dire straits – restricted, narrow – and it isn’t referring to the path but to the gate.
‘Enter through the narrow gate,’ Jesus said, ‘For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.’ (NIV)
In other words, it’s hard. Not being able to see you all, I don’t know a) how many people are actually reading these, and b) whether you are finding them encouraging / challenging / thought provoking (hopefully all three!). Reading through the Proverbs is hard, because the road of faithfulness is hard. It involves self-denial, living for a promised hope instead of instant gratification, battling our sinful desires.
It is hard – but it is also really living. Friends, we weren’t made to walk ‘crooked paths’, to be ‘devious’, liars, cheats, and so on. We were made to walk God’s way – and only find true meaning and fulfilment when we follow him, and not ourselves.
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:
Bruce & Judith Ackers, Tony & Janet Land
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: Lockdown – Wisdom & Safety
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.