Daily Prayer Guide: Saturday Dec 12

Bible Reading

Philippians 2:1-11

¹If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, ² make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.     ³ Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.

⁵ Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, ⁷ but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form,  ⁸ he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

⁹ Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Meditation

Humility doesn’t come naturally. If anything it’s the opposite of natural. Pride is an undeniable part of the human condition. In many ways, it is the water we swim in every day. Pride is the sin from which all other sins flow. It is ground zero for humanity’s depravity. Exposing pride in our lives is perhaps the most countercultural thing we can do.

// Where do you see you pride emerge most often in your life?

C.S. Lewis once wrote that “If you want to find out how proud you are, the easiest way is to ask yourself, “How much do I dislike it when other people snub me, or refuse to take any notice of me, or shove their oar in, or patronize, or show off?” The point is that each person’s pride is in competition with everyone else’s’ pride.”

The innate downward draw of pride makes the example of Christ all that much more compelling. If anyone ever had the right to be proud certainly it would have been Christ, who, “in very nature” was God incarnate. If we allow ourselves the time to reflect on Christ’s example it speaks powerfully and deeply. His example has the affect of changing everything we think is possible. Imagine, the God of the universe becoming human, humbly born in poverty. What then is possible for us?

Reflection and Prayer

// Here is a prayer of confession that you might find helpful as you ponder pride in your own life, and the example of Christ….

Gracious and gentle and condescending God, God of peace, condescending Father of mercy, God of all comfort, I grieve before you over the evil of my heart. I acknowledge that I am too prone to anger, jealousy, and revenge, to ambition and pride, which often give rise to conflict and bitter feelings between me and others. Too often in this way I have offended and grieved you, my longsuffering Father, as well as my neighbors. Forgive me this sin, and allow me to share in the blessing which you have promised to the peacemakers, who shall be called children of God.

-Johann Arndt (1555-1621) German Lutheran Theologian

Written by Paul LeFeber

Click here to download Week 2 Prayer Guide: Sun Dec 6-Sat Dec 12

Daily Prayer Guide: Friday Dec 11

Bible Reading

John 1:14-34

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.  ¹⁵ (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”)

¹⁶ From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.  ¹⁷ The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

¹⁹ This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”  ²⁰ He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.”  ²¹ And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.”  ²² Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”  ²³ He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” as the prophet Isaiah said.  ²⁴ Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.  ²⁵ They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?”  ²⁶ John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know,  ²⁷ the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.”  ²⁸ This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.

²⁹ The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  ³⁰ This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’  ³¹ I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.”  ³² And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.  ³³ I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’  ³⁴ And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

Meditation

The Gospel of John wastes no time addressing one of the most profound aspects of our faith: The Word of God, God himself, became human. We profess a God who is all knowing, but his knowledge of the human condition is not some kind of detached academic exercise. In Jesus, God dwells among us and experiences all the highs and lows of human life, first hand.

As we await the Lord’s return, the voice of John the Baptist still “testifies” and “cries out” today, calling us to repentance and exhorting us to prepare for the Lord.  John’s entire mission was to point people to Jesus. As he told his followers, “[Christ] must become greater; I must become less” (Jn 3:30 NIV). When religious leaders asked John about his own life and ministry, he deflected attention away from himself and pointed toward Christ instead (vv. 22-27).

Being prepared for Christ’s return involves repentance, spiritual growth, and active engagement in Christ’s mission to restore our world. We are not alone in this pursuit. Jesus has baptized his followers with the Holy Spirit (v. 33). God is with us even as we await Christ’s return.

Reflection and Prayer

God “became flesh” and will continue to be united with humanity for all eternity in Jesus’ resurrected body! Spend time in silence to consider this remarkable claim of scripture and to offer praise and thanks to God.

What are the highs and lows in your life right now? Bring them before the Lord in prayer, trusting him to be with you in both the trials and the blessings.

Ask God to reveal areas where repentance is needed in your life. Invite the Holy Spirit to continue transforming your heart and preparing you for Christ’s return.

What part can you play in preparing the world for the Lord’s return? Pray for opportunities to point others toward Christ.

Written by Sean Fahy

Click here to download Week 2 Prayer Guide: Sun Dec 6-Sat Dec 12