Let me not be swayed by beautiful words or fine phrases

Lord, let me not be swayed by beautiful words or fine phrases which hide false philosophies or strange spirits. Let me see through the fluff, make me penetrate the oratory to discern if I am hearing truth or lies. For above all, O God, I want to be free to serve you.

Heavenly Father, thank you for making us into family

Heavenly Father, thank you for making us into family, where love and concern rule, where brother takes care of brother, where your character appears in the features of each of your children. Thank you for this day together, around the table of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Prayer for March, 2011: constancy

We invite the brotherhood to dedicate the month of March to the following petition:

God, thank you for your constancy and unchanging mercy. May we be unwavering in our devotion to you.

May our missionary petition be:

Lord, help us to see each person as a target for your redemptive love in Christ.

How to use these prayers

O God, help me to victory over myself

O God, help me to victory over myself, my passions, my pride, my will. The hardest battle is in my heart. Let the Spirit slay all opposition to your goodness and holiness. Amen.

Time is in your hand

Eternal God, time is in your hand, the minutes, hours, and days are yours, you above and beyond them. When your Son and our Lord Jesus Christ abides in us, every moment counts, and time is redeemed for eternity. May the work of our hands praise you. May our lips exalt your name. May our steps through the sinuous paths of this world at every moment leave the footprints of the Man of Galilee. Amen.

 

Special prayers this week

Through Sunday we’ll be featuring some special prayers, from several sources, ancient and modern, on the Twitter account. Follow along and pray with us.

For now, join in this one:

O Lord our heavenly Father,
almighty and everlasting God,
who hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day;
defend us in the same with thy mighty power;
and grant that this day we fall into no sin,
neither run into any kind of danger,
but that all our doings may be ordered by thy governance,
to do always that is righteous in thy sight;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Book of Common Prayer

Mike Riley joins UP

We’re glad to have Mike Riley of El Paso, Tex., join us on the Twitter account as an editor. He’s already begun adding prayer requests there.

Mike’s participation will make this effort more dynamic and we’ll be looking for more people to join us in this effort.

Be sure to visit Mike’s Bible study blog where his articles are always captivating and edifying.