Wednesday, September 4, 2024
Opening Prayer:
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
Confession of Sin & Prayer for Grace
Merciful Father, I come before you today not in penitent fear but in repentant faith. Because you have raised me up with Christ, I now humble myself before you. I confess that I have been proud, attempting to live an autonomous life and believing the lie of self-sufficiency. I have avoided Jesus by treasuring other things more than you and your kingdom. Have mercy on me today, O Lord my God, and empower me for greater trust, submission, and obedience, through Christ my Savior: Amen.
Old Testament Reading: Exodus 15:1-21
The 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
New Testament Reading: Luke 14:25-34
Prayer of Adoration:
Lord, because my salvation is by grace alone through faith in Christ, I owe everything to you. I cannot withhold from you even the good gifts you have given me, or give my allegiance to them above you and your kingdom. Yet I thank you for your promise that in seeking first your kingdom, I will lack no good thing.
Psalm Reading: Psalm 113
Prayer of Consecration
Lord, as I move into this day, I recognize that it’s my nature to worship. I’m wired for it. My life is always proclaiming the value and the worth and the glory of something. And how often I proclaim the glory of lesser gods! Enlarge my capacity to see you, admire you, enjoy you, and worship you. This Psalm reminds me that YOUR name is to be praised. And so I will receive this both as a rebuke and an invitation. I confess not praising you as I should; and I renew my commitment to live today as a vibrant, joyful, unapologetic worshiper of you. The sun came up this morning, and it will set again this evening. Through the hours in between, let me be conscious of you in everything: in the quiet moments and the chaotic ones, in my work and in my rest, in the glorious and the mundane. When I’m tempted to love lesser things today, draw me back to yourself and re-awaken my worship.
BENEDICTION
And now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and always, until the day of Christ's return.
