Pray… Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! Many times You have comforted me in my hour of need, so hear now my prayer and be gracious to me once more. The godless mock those who are honorable and godly in Your eyes, for how they love what is worthless and how they aim to deceive. But I know that in Your mercy You have set me apart for Yourself, and that You hear me when I cry out to You. Let me therefore conduct myself in fear during my stay upon this earth. Strengthen me, O Lord, to fight the good fight against godlessness and worldliness. Lead me to meditate in my heart as I lay down to sleep and set my mind on You as I awaken to the day. Let me always be at peace, knowing You are God.
Lead me to carefully and wisely consider my ways and resolve to present my body to You as a living and holy sacrifice. Make it my desire to walk by faith and not by sight, trusting fully in You. Many are asking, “Who will show us good in this evil world?” Lift up the light of Your countenance upon me, and put gladness in my heart, that I might be a light to those who walk in darkness. Grant me the tongue of a disciple, that I might know how to sustain the weary one with a word. Fill me with Your joy, that my joy might be made full to then abound to others! O Lord, I ask not for the joy the world gives through the prosperity of the sons of men. Rather, I seek the peace You give to me the world cannot give, along with contentment in all my circumstances, that I might lie down to sleep in peace. You alone lead me to dwell in peace and safety, for Yours is the kingdom of peace that endures forever.
Consider… Arise, for this matter is your responsibility. But we will be with you, therefore be courageous and act. When it comes to sanctification through the application of our faith, the question always comes down to what the mirror shows us. Frustration with worldliness is natural, but it should always give us pause to reflect upon our own growth process and witness. Can we look in that mirror and say, “I am an instrument of righteousness?” Can we really say that our old self was crucified, and we are no longer its slave? When God says, “Arise, for this matter is your responsibility” do we act? While we will never truly be sinlessness in our earthly state we can seek, through both His power abiding in us and our will and actions, to be engaged in an enduring process that keeps us moving towards the goal of holiness. Salvation is a free gift, and that solely from and of God (Eph. 2:8-9). Sanctification, however, has much to do with us taking up our responsibility to present our bodies as living and holy sacrifices unto the good works He has prepared for us to do (Eph. 2:10). God must inspire us, empower us, and gift us, yet if we do not take all of that and be courageous to act it avails us little. If we can smile when the mirror turns our direction, we can truly lie down in peace and hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Recent Comments