Every person is equipped to serve God…me too?

Father, we see that there are different ways to serve You and that You want to equip us to be as Jesus among men. Teach each of us what Your expectations are this day and every day and then enlighten us and lead us as we seek to serve You.

Is Jesus the name above every name…or an exclamation point!

Paul says witness of who Jesus was and why He matters in your life. His name is above every name! We pray that His name and our Lord’s Holy name is only spoken in fear and reverence. Forgive those who believe Your name, O’ God, is an exclamation point. How Father did we become so irreverent?

Have mercy on the souls of those who are disobedient, we pray. Amen

How critical is it that we “finish well”?

Father, we confess our dependence on You. You have taught us that to know You and then abandon You is a grave error. Those who do so are like the thorns and briars that will be destroyed in the end. But we who love You and all the works we do in Your name will not be forgotten.

How do you achieve “goodness”?

Father, we know that our goodness, absent the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, is more than just inadequate. When our fleshly instincts take over, we know we are running away from Your presence. Your word tells us that You delight in your saints, a designation none of us feel able to accept, yet it remains Your expectation.

God’s word can never be stamped void. It invades your space

Father, we thank You for Paul’s ministry. He taught us how to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ, who he refers to as saints. We do pray for each other, perhaps not as fervently or constantly as we should, but we know that the prayers of a righteous man availeth much. You hear the prayers of those that love You so we never speak in vain when we bring our needs and hopes to You.

Is perfection, apart from Christ in you, possible?

Father, we feel weak and ineffective in our witness and in the circumstances of our lives, too often. We know that if we have needs that have not been declared to You or if we set out to do something in our own strength that we are leaving out the one variable that changes everything and that is You.

Heaven…we can only imagine how perfect it will be.

Father, You know how we love life and all of its opportunities yet we also look forward to perfection, an eternal life without sin and suffering. We who love You and have committed ourselves to Your service await the moment in time when we finally see all that You have prepared for us. You tell us that eye has not seen nor has mind imagined that which You have prepared for us.

A simple yardstick…what would Jesus do?

Where change is needed, shed Your light upon our lives and help us see what you would have us do. The words, “What would Jesus do?” give us an effective way to evaluate our choices. Help; us ask that question often. We pray that You will give us the resolve to more effectively seek You and serve you, this day.

Me, a saint? No way…is that right?

Paul says we are called to be “saints”. Father, You know how frail and impotent we feel, at times. Help us today, to know that when we are full of the Holy Spirit seeking to be as You Jesus, that we are, in that moment, saints.