Will I suffer on judgment day? That depends on who you belong to…

Father, such words as recorded by the beloved apostle John, are too wonderful to fully grasp. Thank you for Your Spirit in us that enable us to “overcome” the evil that surrounds us. You tell us there are false prophets, people who claim to know You. Give us discerment, we pray, in identifying such people.

I humbly declare I am not proud; never have been.

Father, we know that to be like Jesus is our goal and we also know that our lower nature, our flesh, often causes us to act more like a goof ball than a saint. Give us the humility we pray to allow You to overcome that which is present in all of us. You promised to do so if we but ask.

Your Presence surrounds us. We are never alone.

Keep us from valuing anything or anyone more than our relationship with You. You are the constant, unchanging Presence. Jesus, You alone are our Judge and our Redeemer. Strengthen our fidelity to You.

Judged individually? I thought it was a group membership deal.

Father, Your law reveals Your will for us. When we stand within Your law we stand in liberty. Forgive us O’God when we sin. Deliver us from temptation, constantly, because it is ever upon us. As we proclaim our faith, help us to do good works that verify our words.

Suffer patiently? How is that possible…

Jesus, our objective is to be like You. We will need a lot of help not to return evil for evil. If people are critical of us, to take such criticism without angrily giving it back to them, doubly for some of us, requires Your Spirit in us.