I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. Psalms 9:1-2
Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury. Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you. Proverbs 9:7-8

Heavenly Father, like David, I want to be a man who, more often than not, has your wonderful deeds and blessings and provisions on my heart. You have been so good and so faithful! You have blessed me with family blessings, financial blessings, vocational blessings, recreational blessings, material blessings, and most of all the spiritual blessings of salvation, justification, propitiation, expiration, and adoption! I praise your name for your constant, undeserved goodness in my life! Thank you Lord especially for how you had your hand over our membership meeting last night. Though we were not all together physically, though there was a difficult news to deliver, your presence was palpable. Your spirit was sensed. Blessing the communication of my transition is your wonderful deed! It’s your wonderful deed,. and I praise your name for it!

Lord, I praise you for the wisdom of Proverbs 9:7-8. Thank you for giving me this just at the right time to help me to understand and perceive where so much of the pain of my pastoral ministry has come from. I wish you would’ve revealed this verse to me sooner! Though you call me to be gentle as a dove, you also call me to be wise as a serpent. Help me with this Lord, especially when it comes to correcting people. Help me to be able to discern the difference between a sheep who is open to sanctification and a sheep that is a scoffer. I don’t want to be bitter. I don’t want to be apathetic. I want to continue to lead people towards you as you would have me to lead them, but I also don’t want to incur any unnecessary abuse, injury, or hate. I am so thankful for this warning. Help me to heed it under the direction of your Holy Spirit. I pray all of this in Jesus name, Amen.