Week: One Anothers
Each day we will simply pray (P.R.A.Y.) together.
P: PAUSING to be still.
R: REJOICING with a Memory Verse and REFLECTING on some verses from the Bible.
A: ASKING God to help us and others.
Y: saying YES to God’s ways.
As usual, we start by pausing and taking a deep breath:
In and out.
In and out.
We remember that God is here, and so together we prepare ourselves to be with God.
Pause
What a friend we have in You, Jesus. We’re ready for the new things that You want to show us and say to us about being friends with You, and with others too.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Elanor
1 Peter 4:10
Each of you has received a gift to use to serve others. Be good servants of God’s various gifts of grace.
1 Peter 4:10 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today we are continuing to REFLECT on what the Bible has to say about friendship.
Read by Elanor
Romans 12:14-16 (NCV)
Romans 12:14-16
Wish good for those who harm you; wish them well and do not curse them. Be happy with those who are happy, and be sad with those who are sad. Live in peace with each other. Do not be proud, but make friends with those who seem unimportant. Do not think how smart you are.
There are lots of really challenging things in this short passage, but we’re going to focus on just one line, ‘make friends with those who seem unimportant’.
Wherever we are – whether it’s at school or work or even at church – there seems to be a few people who feel a bit different and get left out. Paul says that being a follower of Jesus means reaching out and being friends with people like this, without worrying about what others will think or say.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: When have we felt different from everyone else or left out? How did that feel?
Let’s be quiet for a moment and hold our hands out in front of us. Let’s offer the feelings that we’ve just been talking about to Jesus.
Lord Jesus, You are the best friend that anyone can possibly have. As we offer our feelings to You, we also receive Your love for us.
Let’s think of someone who might feel unimportant because they feel a bit different or because they’ve been left out.
Loving Father, You have made us all so wonderfully different and special. Help us to see one another with Your eyes. We ASK particularly for those feeling unimportant, that they would know Your perfect love.
Let’s quietly ASK God if there’s some way that we could reach out to them this week?
As we read the Bible again, let’s listen for a word or a phrase that the Holy Spirit might want to say to us from today’s verses.
Romans 12:14-16
Romans 12:14-16 (NCV)
Wish good for those who harm you; wish them well and do not curse them. Be happy with those who are happy, and be sad with those who are sad. Live in peace with each other. Do not be proud, but make friends with those who seem unimportant. Do not think how smart you are.
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Loving God, we say YES to receiving Your perfect love for us, and sharing it, particularly with those who feel left out.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
1 Peter 4:10
Each of you has received a gift to use to serve others. Be good servants of God’s various gifts of grace.
1 Peter 4:10 (NCV)
Let’s put a hand on our heart.
Father God, fill us with Your love. Help us to love You, and everything that You’ve made.
Let’s point to our eyes.
Lord Jesus, help us to see You, and to see others the way that You see them too.
Let’s point to our ears.
Holy Spirit, help us to hear You, and give us courage to do what You say.
Chris lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife and two boys. He works for 24-7 Prayer Australia and Red Church and is also a professional musician. When he’s not working or drumming Chris enjoys going on long hikes in the mountains with his boys and playing table tennis.
Elanor is 12 years old and lives in East London with her parents and younger brother. She enjoys going on adventures with her friends, reading lots of books, horse riding, acting, singing, dancing and finding different ways to pray to God.
