Good Morning, Lord!
I Am Baptized
God saved us, not because of works done by us in
righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration
and renewal of the Holy Spirit. (Tit. 3:5 ESV)
Make the sign of the cross as you say, “In the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
A Morning Prayer
Holy Father, from whom alone all good things come, let the
Christian graces of faith, hope, and love be ever more firmly established
within me.
O God, I believe, help my unbelief! Grow my faith to take
hold of Jesus’ promises of forgiveness, abundant life and eternal salvation.
Help me to believe that your grace is sufficient for me. Help me to trust that
your plans for me are good, giving me hope and a future.
O God, I hope in Christ’s cross and empty tomb. I hope for
your continued mercy. I hope for the lessening of sin’s hold on my heart and
mind. I hope that because Christ is risen and coming again, everything will be
okay. I hope for the day when I will see Jesus face to face and be reunited
with those who have gone before me in the faith.
O God, I love you, for you are love. I love because you
first loved me. I love because you so loved the world that you gave your only
begotten Son. I love you, and therefore I love my neighbors whom you love in
truth.
O God, strengthen my faith, give me greater patience in my
hope, and make me more constant in my love. In loving let me believe and in
believing let me love; and in loving and in believing let me hope for a more
perfect love and a more unwavering faith, through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.[1]
I Believe …
I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe
in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by
the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true
faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole
Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true
faith. In this Christian Church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and
the sins of all believers. On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead,
and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ.
This is most certainly true.
Question for Meditation
What does this reading teach you about Jesus, what He said
and did, or what He wants His followers to believe? What does it teach you
about God’s love and forgiveness?
What does this reading lead you to be thankful for?
What behavior, thought, or attitude does this reading
challenge? What sin does it lead you to confess?
How might you pray for God to have a richer impact on your
life through this reading?
Prayer
Pray for your
spouse, parents, family, and friends – and for your enemies.
Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven;
give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those
who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom
and the power and the glory
forever and ever. Amen.
Benediction
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father,
who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort
your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. (2 Thess. 2:16-17
ESV)
[1] This prayer is adapted
from John Baillie, A Diary of Private Prayer, 1949 – a morning prayer for the
23rd day of the month. Baillie wrote wonderful prayers for the
morning and evening of each day of the month. They have inspired, educated, and
assisted many in their prayer lives. It was updated in 2014 by Susanna Wright.
That edition is available from Amazon here.
I personally prefer the 1949 edition with the older style of language. Those
can still be found if you search for it.
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