Romans 3; Ephesians 1; Romans 2, 8, & 3

So, Lord, all mankind, including and especially me, has sinned against you and fallen short of your glory. Nevertheless, in your mercy, you included some, including me, in Christ before the foundation of the world.

In your goodness, you led me to repentance. You predestined me to be conformed to the image of Jesus, my Lord and Savior. You called me. You justified me, and you glorified me. You are for me, so nothing can prevail against my salvation.

Now, I am not justified by my good deeds or because I am a good person. Rather, I see that your perfect righteousness is credited to me through faith in Jesus Christ.

For everyone who is yours, Father, is justified as a free gift, by your grace, through faith in your redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

You, Father, set Jesus forth as the propitiation for my sins. His righteousness is imputed to me, and, in your forbearance, Father, you passed over my sins. You are just with me and the justifier of me, through faith in Jesus, your Messiah and my Savior.

Romans 1

Lord God, I see that you have wrath towards all who refuse you. You tell us you are love, and mankind tries to hold you hostage by presuming to define what love means. But you are not subject to man’s decrees. You are the potter. You make the decrees.

Your wrath is revealed from Heaven against all the ungodliness and the unrighteousness of men. You condemn all who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.

You have shown yourself to all men since the creation of the world through your invisible attributes which are clearly seen, so man is without excuse if he refuses your person, power, and presence.

Many are not thankful and refuse your salvation and your glory. They make up their own futile philosophy, and their foolish minds are darkened. They profess to be wise and change the glory of the incorruptible God into the corruption of man.

Every thought and desire of man becomes evil unless you, Lord, grant repentance. Many refuse confession and repentance, and you give them up to uncleanness in the lust of their hearts.

Those people exchange the truth of God for the lies of evil. They wax worse and worse and finally, worse than can be imagined. So bad, in fact, that they give each other awards for their evil and claim to be proud of it.

Galatians 6; 2 Corinthians 5; Romans 1

Lord Jesus, I praise and honor you. I boast in your courage and compassion to endure the cross. By your obedience and sacrifice, I am crucified to the world, and the world is crucified to me.

What counts is that I have been born from above. I am in you, Lord, and you are in me, therefore, I am a new creation in Christ.

I am thankful and sure of your Gospel, Father. It is your power for salvation to everyone who believes whether Jew or Gentile. Your gospel shows your provision of real righteousness to all who live in faith in Jesus as your Christ and your Messiah.

I live by faith in you, Father, through Christ, and in that, by your grace, I am justified. I do not deserve it, but you give it as a free gift. I certainly did not earn it, but Christ did. He paid for it and you, Father, impute it to my credit.

You have shown me yourself. I see your presence in creation and your invisible attributes in my transformation. I glorify you, and I am thankful.

Ecclesiastes 1 & 3; 1Thessalonians 1; Ecclesiastes 3

The working and worrying done by the works of mankind, on this earth, under the sun, is vanity and grasping the wind. Man, on his own, cannot change the nature of man. What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be numbered.

In human wisdom is much grief, and human pride and wisdom leads to increased sorrow.

But when you call us, Lord, and when we labor in the labor of faith and obedience, you make everything beautiful in its time. You put eternity in our hearts. It is great good for us to eat and drink and enjoy our labor of love, our work of faith, and our patience of hope.

Your gift to each person, on this earth, who is yours, Father, is that we can eat and drink and enjoy joy and peace as your children and as your obedient servants.

Our service is not in vain. We can know that you are God and that you take care of “forever”, that nothing will be added or taken away that is not ordained and determined by you. You will do it, and we can be glad.

Malachi 1, 2, & 3

Lord God, you have chosen me to love, and I thank you. I realize your choice is by your grace and not because of anything special about me. You have made your forever covenant with me, a covenant of life and peace.

I fear you, and I am reverent before your name. Your word of truth is on my lips, and I walk with you in peace and fellowship.

Christ Jesus, my Lord and Savior, has come into my life. Through your word, Father, and by the witness of your Holy Spirit, I have seen my Lord, and he has cleansed me with a refiner’s fire. Like laundry soap, he has washed me.

He has purified me with a fire of regret, conviction, confession, and repentance. He has purged me like gold and silver. He has redeemed me and filled me with his righteousness.

I am yours now, Lord Jesus, and I meditate on your word. You are the Lord, and I love you, and I fear you. I want to obey and please you. You have made me special to you by your grace and your choice.

I am somehow like a jewel to you. You treat me as a brother, and your father is now my father.

Zechariah 9, 1, & 3

Father, I rejoice greatly. As your beloved, I shout for I see that my King has come, and I know that he is coming again. He is my Lord Jesus, and he is just and has brought salvation. He has come first as a lowly servant riding on the foal of a donkey.

He is the Prince of Peace, and his dominion is from sea to sea, to the ends of the earth. He has set me free, filled me with hope, and restored me to life.

By your grace, Father, through Christ, I have returned to you, and you have filled me with your presence. You granted me repentance, and I have turned from my evil ways and my evil deeds.

You have removed my iniquity from me, and you have clothed me with your robe of righteousness. You have put your cleansing word in my head and anointed me with your Holy Spirit. You have done all this, not by force, but by the love of your Holy Spirit.

Zephaniah 3

I sing, Father, because you have made me your son. I shout. I am glad, and I rejoice with all my heart. You, Father, through Christ Jesus, have taken away the judgments against me. You have cast out my enemies.

You, Lord Jesus, the King of Kings, dwell in me by your Holy Spirit, and I shall see disasters no more. You tell me to fear not. You make my hands strong for the tasks you have for me.

You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are in me and in my midst. You have saved me from myself and my sin. You rejoice over me with gladness. You quiet me with your love. You rejoice over me with singing.

2 Thessalonians 1, 2, & 3

Thank you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for your grace to me and for your peace that guards my heart and mind. Thank you that, from the beginning, you chose me for salvation through sanctification by your spirit and belief in the truth, that is your Gospel.

You called me to you, through your gospel, in the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, I stand fast and hold on to good doctrine that agrees with your word.

I know you love me, Lord, and you give me everlasting consolation and good hope. You comfort my heart, and you establish me in every good word and work.

Fill me, Lord, that I could share your word and your glory effectively. Deliver me from unreasonable and wicked people. You, Lord, are faithful, and you establish me, and you guard me from the evil one.

Today I will obey and live by your word, and you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, will direct my heart, my mind, and my desires into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.

1 Thessalonians 4 & 3; Colossians 2; 1 Thessalonians 4

Thank you, Father, that your will is my sanctification. By your grace through faith, you establish my heart blameless in holiness before you. This is not because of my works, but is purely a gift from you, through Christ, my Lord.

Your word teaches me, and your Holy Spirit leads me so that I know how to possess my own vessel in sanctification and honor and no longer in the passion of lust. I am fair and honest in my dealings. I am called to holiness, and I enjoy living in holiness and gentleness.

I aspire to lead a quiet life and to mind my own business and to do the work you have given me to do with excellence. I walk properly with all who are around me, and I lack nothing.

For I know, Father, you have taken care of the future. I know Jesus died and rose again, and that he will bring with him, when he returns, all those who are yours.

Jesus himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. The dead in Christ will rise together with those living in Christ. We will all meet in the air, and so shall we always be with the Lord.

Colossians 3; Galatians 2; Colossians 3

Hallelujah. I have been raised with Christ. I no longer live but Christ lives in me. Now by your grace, Father, I see that I am elected by you, and by your choice, I am holy and beloved.

I put off the old man with his sinful deeds, and I put on the new man who is renewed in the knowledge of you, Father, and who is conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ, and who is filled and led by the Holy Spirit of God. Now I am all Christ, and Christ is all of me.

Now the peace of God rules in my heart, and I am thankful. The word of Christ dwells in me richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing me in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. I sing with grace in my heart to you, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Today whatever I do in word or deed, I do all in your name, Lord Jesus. I give thanks to you, Father, through him. And whatever I do, I do it heartily as unto you, Lord, and not to men. I know the reward of the inheritance of God, for I serve the Lord Christ.