The good news of Christ
You know our struggles, Lord, and where they lead,
You know the price behind the suffering deed—
We feel none understands our pain and tears,
Our yearnings, daily needs and lonely years.
The Cross of Christ refuses selfish whining,
“Your will be done” cuts off Egyptian pining;
No lower could the Son of Mary go,
So death to self and dying, Lord, you know.
Even in my trials and deep distress,
You find a seat for me at Jesus’ table,
Humbly I come in mercy’s finest dress,
To eat and drink, O Lord, you make me able.
Three times and more I’d ask you to remove
These thorns that weigh upon my weakened shoulder;
But no! Your strength and sustenance I must prove,
Become a gazer of grace, a Cross beholder.
You, O God, are life itself, having existed before all things, the God who was, and is, and ever will be. Into man’s nostrils you breathed the breath of life, a breath meant to enliven forever. We cut ourselves off from you and lost the tree of life. But through the Lord Jesus Christ that life has been restored. Our inheritance is eternal life with you. Life is more than awareness—it is walking and living and breathing in your presence. So let us be ever more conscious of your reality, of your power, of your goodness, of your Self who defines and transforms and equips us for your your fellowship.
For all that people talk of quality of life, they have no idea that it means knowing and loving you. The body can be in top shape, the bank account can be overflowing, but without openness to your love, willingness to bask in your glory, there is no quality, no joy, no meaning. Let us make ourselves increasingly fit for relationship in your fullness.
Let us also develop in ourselves those signs of spiritual life, basic as they are, essential in their exercise: the Word, prayer, fellowship with the saints, movement in service and mission. Let our day jobs be seen as opportunities to touch others. Let our small tasks and to-do lists become channels to let our lights shine that you may be glorified. Let our interactions with others be chances to bless.
Remind us constantly that life is not a series of cheap thrills, but the deep and often unspoken experience of every breath, thought, motive, action, word, and motion wrapped in your Spirit.
In your faithfulness, O God, do I trust. I know you will carry through, you will hold me fast, you will make me stand.
In Christ are mercy, kindness, tenderness, and love. These have I found.
There is nothing in the world for me. Its promise is empty. Its end is death.
Heaven holds all to me. In Christ are your fullness and my fulfillment.
Your goodness has no limits. With you all is possible. Praise to you for every moment filled with love and light.
—John Henson, Dibrell Church of Christ, McMinnville, TN
Father who was and is and always will be, help us live as children of the resurrection, finding Jesus’ glorious life more and more abundant, so that the fullness of this life may repel the intrusion of self and sin and overcome evil with good.
Help us join the praise of the universe to your power, glory, and goodness.
Set us to rights in our relationships, in our attitudes and thoughts, in our habits of work, free time, and personal piety.
Show us the opportunities to remember the poor, to lift up the needy, to defend the helpless. Continue reading “Set us to rights”
Heavenly Father, in your providence we see your love. We feel surrounded by it, because we know that you always act in our good interest and for the progress of the kingdom. Your hand orders all things with wisdom.
Often, we do not understand your ways of working in this world. We trust and wait in confidence to see the outcome of your working. Continue reading “We trust and wait”
Heavenly Father, thank you for the challenge of the day’s activities.
As I look back on them, I ask forgiveness for whenever I shrank back in fear, for whenever I felt weak in my own strength, for whenever I drew into my own shell of self, for whenever I let my own inertia keep me from positive action.
Thank you for those moments when your will was at the forefront of my mind, when your Spirit was producing its fruit in my conduct, when Jesus was the example for my words and actions, when Scripture rang in my ears and braced me for spiritual battle.
Let me learn from today’s mistakes, rejoice in good choices, and be comforted that your love is constant as I strive to be more like the Lord Jesus Christ each day.
Success! See, Lord, how I succeed,
How I have reached the upper cloud!
For you no longer have I need,
My failed successes make me proud.
My failures! Lord, my failures! Show
How you transform them into power;
My shameful vision brings me low,
I need your hand to lift me higher.
You, oh Lord, are the great destroyer of pride, that beast which never seems to die.
The God of gods, you bring man down to the dust.
You desire that your creature desire you.
You seek to bless, and we bless your name for seeking us to bring light to our darkness.
No one can perform the wonders that you accomplish. You are all we need. Cause us to make you the only desire of our heart.