Day 26: Self-Control
Scripture:
“So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
Romans 7:21-25a
Prayer:
Dear God, we come to you asking for forgiveness. We confess our sins and our weaknesses.
We believe you are the only true and real God, and that you made us and saved us and gave us your Holy Spirit. And yet we find ourselves doing the exact things that we don’t want to do: We start the day focused on doing right things, and before we know it, we’ve already done what we didn’t want to do. And God, we cannot stop ourselves.
And so, we ask you to please hear our cry and forgive us. Forgive us for all the times that we let you down, forgive us for all the times that we do not do the right thing. We thank you for saving us from condemnation, and we ask you to save us from ourselves. To not only save us but to transform us into the people that you want us to be.
We believe in your promises that your power is made strong in our weakness and that you will finish the work you started in us. We ask you to change our hearts, our minds, our actions. Please lead us in your paths and keep our eyes fixed on you. Help us stop our striving against you. Thank you for your love and thank you for our salvation and thank you for the work that you will do in us and through us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Reflection:
How will Jesus show up in my day today?
Do I have the eyes and ears to see and hear the wonders of his love and mercy?
How will I experience his grace? Will I see something miraculous? Something hope-filled that will transform me?
