Monday, October 21, 2024
Opening Prayer:
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Confession of Sin & Prayer for Grace
Holy Spirit: because of my union with Christ, you dwell within me. Yet I confess that I still live according to the flesh. I do not live in conscious dependence upon you. I do not walk in vital communion with you. I am self-reliant and self-trusting, more defined by this age than by the age to come. Forgive me, Gracious Father, for neglecting the gift of your Spirit. Today, fill me afresh with the Spirit’s presence. Revive my soul. Renew my zeal. Release your power in me, for the glory of Your name. Amen.
Old Testament Reading: Joshua 3:7-17
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: Matthew 23:1-12
Prayer of Adoration:
Lord Jesus, I adore you, because in you there is no dishonesty, no inconsistency, and no hypocrisy. In my own heart I recognize a wide gulf between my words and my actions. But instead of condemnation, you offer me yourself, both as my model to teach me, and as my savior to transform me.
Psalm Reading: Psalm 17
Prayer of Consecration
O God: today I am surrounded by “men of the world whose portion is in this life.” They do not think of the world to come, or ponder the realities of your eternal kingdom. And I confess that I am prone to embrace their perspective. I find myself doubting the reality of the world to come and wondering whether righteousness and obedience really matter. Like the Psalmist, I call upon you. Give ear to my prayer. Hear my words. Keep me as the apple of your eye. Let your faithfulness to me, as promised in your word, anchor and animate my faithfulness to you. Give me vital, vibrant, active trust in you today. May I take hold of the promise that Jesus Christ has pledged himself to me, and he will not let me go.
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.
