Thursday Devo
Scripture:
Matthew 6:5-6
5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
Commentary:
6:5–6 stand and pray in the synagogues. At the set time of prayer, pious Jews would stop what they were doing and pray, some discreetly, but others with pretentious display. Jesus did not condemn all public prayer, as indicated by his own prayers in public (e.g., 14:19; 15:36). One’s internal motivation is the central concern. shut the door. Though public prayer has value, prayer completely away from public view allows a person (or group) to focus more exclusively on God.
Questions:
- The takeaway from Sunday was that God wants to speak TO you and THROUGH you. This is true for every believer, as we said before, no matter your gender, age or financial status. You're never too young and never too old. This is the life of the new testament Jesus follower - to hear from God, through the Holy Spirit and his Word, and to share that with a lost and dying world. Do you feel you can tell when the Holy Spirit is speaking to you? Can you discern HIS voice over others?
- But we must be in a position to hear him speak. There are keys to stillness of your heart, the quieting of your mind, to your own prayer life, to being in Scripture. We MUST make room for God to speak to us. We MUST quiet our minds and still our hearts before God. Are you getting alone with him on a regular basis, in a quiet place, and giving him room to speak?
Prayer Topics:
- That you would learn to discern God's voice over others.
- That you would make room in your life for the Holy Spirit to speak to you.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
1. Who is Jesus? I believe Jesus is God because Jesus said He is God and proved it by rising from the dead and appearing to His disciples, His brother James, 500 others at one time and Paul.
(Mark 3:21; John 8:58, 10:30-33, 14:9-11; Acts 9:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:2-3; James 1:1)
(Mark 3:21; John 8:58, 10:30-33, 14:9-11; Acts 9:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:2-3; James 1:1)
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