Today We Pray

Dear Lord, I am thankful that You have called me Your friend. May I ever be grateful for the privilege! You are very faithful and gracious to my life, oh Christ.

Cleanse, O Lord, my humble soul of all corporal and spiritual stain. Grant that I may during this day walk in thy Word, and this night have a peaceful sleep, so that on rising from my humble bed, I should continue to praise Thy holy Name throughout all the days of my life, and that I be victorious over all the physical and spiritual enemies battling against me. Deliver me, O Lord, from all vain thoughts that defile me, and from evil desires. 

I beseech You mercifully to hear my prayers and the prayers of all Your people who call upon You. Grant that we may both perceive and know what things we ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfill them. Through Jesus Christ Your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - John 15:15

God did not call us servants any longer. It is because the servant does not know what his master is doing. But He had called us Our friends. It is because He had revealed to us everything that He had heard from His Father.

Isn't it amazing? We are no longer servants, but God called us His friends. What a privilege to have! Thank God today and acknowledge His Words that we are His friends.

Today We Pray

Dear Lord, You know me better than I know myself. Search the deepest parts of my heart for anything that is displeasing to You. Cleanse me of my wandering ways and lead me in Your good and righteous way.

Be present with me always. Dwell within my heart, O Lord. With thy light and thy Spirit, guide my soul, my thoughts, and all my actions, that I may teach thy Word, that thy healing power may be in me and in all the saints of thy church universal.

I praise You for Christ’s resurrection and victory, and for His promise to all people, that He will intercede for us at our death, and bring us to eternal life. Today, I remember and celebrate His resurrection, giving all glory to Father, Son and Holy Spirit for this miracle and the redemption of our own lives. Through Christ, I pray.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - Psalm 139:23

Let Him search thoroughly our hearts. Let Him investigate our lives. Let Him find out everything about us. Let Him cross-examine and test us, and get a clear picture of what we're about. Let Him do those things to see for ourselves whether we’ve done anything wrong. Then, He could guide us on the road to eternal life.

The Daily Grace - God's Sandpaper

My friend's words stung. Trying to sleep, I battled to stop mulling over her pointed comments about my strong opinions. As I lay there, I asked for God's wisdom and peace. Several weeks later, still concerned about the matter, I prayed, "I hurt, Lord, but show me where I need to change. Show me where she's right".

My friend had acted as God's sandpaper in my life. My feelings felt rubbed raw, but I sensed that how I responded would lead to the building of my character - or not. My choice was to submit to the smoothing process, confessing my pride and stubborn stance. I sensed that my bumps and imperfections didn't glorify the Lord.

King Solomon knew that living in a community could be difficult, a theme he addressed in the book of Proverbs. In chapter 27, we see his wisdom applied to relationships. He likens the sharp words between friends as iron sharpening iron: "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another" (v. 17), shaving off the rough edges in each other's behavior. The process may bring about wounds, such as the hurt I felt from my friend's words (see v. 6), but ultimately the Lord can use these words to help and encourage us to make needed changes in our attitude and behavior. How might the Lord be smoothing out your rough edges for His glory? The Lord allows our rough edges to be smoothed over through the sandpaper of life.

Today We Pray

Dear Lord, how often I forget that it is because of You that I live. You made all of us from the very dust that You created. Then You did the most wondrous of all things, You made us in Your image and You breathed life into us.

This shaping process hurts, but I want to submit to the process. Mold me and smooth me. And having learned so much, I thank You that I can hear with my ears your wonderful works, the testimony of the earth and the spirit, like a light shining in the darkness.

I join those praying with me today in thanking You for our lives. We pray that You continue to sustain us each day. From Your heavenly place, accept our prayers and our praise. 

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - Proverbs 27:17

This verse talks about the influences of the people around you. Through discussions, you can sharpen one another and learn one another. It's like you use steel to sharpen steel. This is how one friend sharpens another. A man sharpens the countenance of his friend to show rage or worthy purpose.

A friendly discussion is as stimulating as the sparks that fly when iron strikes the iron. Friends sharpen the minds of each other. Pray for a friend who will do the same for you. Through this, it can help your growth in all aspects of your life.