Sing to the Lord, and praise him! Proclaim every day the good news that he has saved us (Psalm 96.2, GNB).
If you would like to receive these by email, please click here.
Opening
Speak these words out loud:
Jesus said, ‘You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.’
Acts 1.8 (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.
Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared. (NIV)
Don’t make friends with people who have hot, violent tempers. You might learn their habits and not be able to change. (GNB)
Proverbs 22.24-25
I have used the example before of training Guide Dog puppies. They arrive around eight weeks old, little tiny balls of Andrex perfection, and over the first year receive basic training on ‘doing their business’, walking, being around people, going on public transport, etc, before going to the main training centre for their proper training.
The breeding programme is excellent, so the dogs are usually highly intelligent and easy to train – with some notable exceptions (we had one called Westley who had two years of remedial training, and they still couldn’t get him to behave). But what makes it easier to train them, is having an older dog around who is already trained. Why? Because they copy.
Children do the same thing – you know what happens when one coughs in a school assembly, or another asks to go to the toilet: suddenly they all do!
And, it we’re honest, adults do the same. Copying or mirroring behaviour is important, because it helps us build friendships, form communities, and get along with one another. But it can have negative consequences too, as this Proverb shows.
Which leads me to ask two questions: 1) do you spend time with anyone who is a bad influence on you, and 2) perhaps more importantly, are you a bad influence on other people?
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:
Don & Jean Sands, Helen Slim, Gill Knight
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: Primary Schools in Amington
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.