Good Morning, Lord!
I Am Baptized
Baptism … now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the
body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of
Jesus Christ. (1 Pet. 3:21 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
O God, ever blessed, who has given me the night for rest and
the day for work and service, I pray that the sleep of the night past may be
turned to your greater glory in my life today. Help me to refuse procrastination
and any temptation toward indolence, but let me be diligent in action, willing
in obedience, and bold in my witness.
Teach me, O God, to use all the circumstance of my life
today so that they bring forth the fruits of holiness in me instead of the
fruits of sin.
·
Let me use
disappointment as material for patience.
·
Let me use
success as material for thankfulness.
·
Let me use the
uncertainty of these days as material for perseverance.
·
Let me use the
fear of these days as material for courage.
·
Let me use the
loneliness of these days as material for knowing your presence.
·
Let me use the
loss of so much of my way of life as material to help me walk by faith and not
by sight.
O Lord Jesus Christ, who for the joy that was set before you
endured the Cross, despising its shame, and now sits and the right hand of the
throne of God, set my mind on you to remember how you endured rejection,
betrayal, and abuse, so that I will not grow weary of doing good and following
you being confident of your presence and salvation.
Holy God, I remember before you all my friends and family,
and I ask that you, in your great love, would keep them also free from sin,
guiding all their deeds, inspiring their thoughts, and filling them with faith
in Jesus. Amen.[1]
I Believe …
You shall have no other gods.
You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God.
Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy.
Honor your father and mother.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant
or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
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 those
who are sick, injured, grieving, dying, lonely, bullied, and experiencing
injustice.
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 to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to
present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25
to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty,
dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude
1:24-25 ESV)
[1] This prayer is adapted
from John Baillie, A Diary of Private Prayer, 1949 – a morning prayer for the
24th 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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