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:
By his power God raised Jesus from the dead,
and he will raise us also.
1 Corinthians 6.14 (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 wicked put up a bold front, but the upright give thought to their ways. (NIV)
Righteous people are sure of themselves; the wicked have to pretend as best they can. (GNB)
Proverbs 21.29
The word ‘hypocrite’ comes from the Greek words for acting and performance. We all have to do a bit of acting to get through the day – if we answered fully and truthfully every time someone asked ‘How are you?’ we’d never get anything done!
A bit of pretending is fine – as long as a) we don’t do it all the time, b) it stops being about glossing over something painful, and starts being about presenting a ‘bold front’, c) we have a person or people with whom we are truly honest about ourselves.
The key thing here is what in modern days we call ‘self-awareness’, and this Proverb calls ‘giving thought to our ways’. It’s not pointless naval-gazing, it’s being honest with ourselves about our thoughts and our behaviours. When you respond or react negatively to a situation or to a person, do you know why? When you pretend you are more successful in your job, happier in your marriage, less frustrated with being a parent, or whatever it is – do you know why?
It’s quite a hard thing to learn, and it can be easy to get stuck in a negative loop, a death spiral of self-doubt and self-questioning. It’s best done in an attitude of prayer. So why not pray right now and ask God to teach you something new about yourself today?
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:
Robins Family (Daniel, Joanna, Rachel, Steve)
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: PCC & Standing Committee
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.