June 7, 2021 -- Proverbs 3:7-8 -- Christian life on Monday
/Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones.
Proverbs 3:7-8 ESV
It is Monday morning. Sunday with its activity dedicated to the LORD is now behind you. The question is: how will you live? This passage reminds us of the refreshment and glory which are granted to those who dress themselves in the riches of knowing God and applying His word to every part of the week.
How will you speak to your irritating coworker? Will you have yet another argument about the origins of COVID with your fanatic friend and leave irritated? That neighbour who is always trimming his lawn while he casts aspersions on you judging you because your lawn doesn’t meet his standards.
Dear family in Christ, you are a new creation in Jesus Christ. The old nature with its sinful lusts and diabolical urges has been put to death. Let what is holy and new take hold of you. As you read the Bible, delight in the goodness of the LORD. As you pray, ask the Spirit of God to cause the new life which is yours in Christ to well up and take down the old man and strangle his inclination to evil and sin. Trust the promises of God that humble service offered in Jesus’ Name and turning from the evil you know can easily entangle you will result in healing of your heart. Resentments will fade. Old scores will no longer need to be settled, instead, the grace of our God and King will bring relief.
A Christian's Prayer
Blessed God,
Ten thousand snares are mine without and within,
defend thou me;
When sloth and indolence seize me,
give me views of heaven;
When sinners entice me,
give me disrelish of their ways;
When sensual pleasures tempt me,
purify and refine me;
When I desire worldly possessions,
help me to be rich toward thee;
When the vanities of the world ensnare me,
let me not plunge into new guilt and ruin.
May I remember the dignity of my spiritual release,
never be too busy to attend to my soul,
never be so engrossed with time
that I neglect the things of eternity;
thus may I not only live, but grow towards thee.
Form my mind to right notions of religion,
that I may not judge of grace by wrong conceptions,
nor measure my spiritual advances by the efforts of my natural being.
May I seek after an increase of divine love to thee,
after unreserved resignation to thy will,
after extensive benevolence to my fellow creatures,
after patience and fortitude of soul,
after a heavenly disposition after a concern that I may please thee in public
and private.
Draw on my soul the ^lineaments of Christ,
in every trace and feature of which thou wilt take delight,
for I am thy workmanship, created in Christ Jesus,
thy letter written with the Holy Spirit’s pen,
thy tilled soil ready for the sowing, then harvest.
The Valley of Vision; editor Arthur Bennett, page 108
^lineaments: distinctive features, especially of the face
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