February 1, 2021
OPENING PRAYER
O Lord, God of my salvation, every day I call upon you, in the morning my prayer comes before you. Incline your ear to my cry! For my soul is full of troubles, and my strength fails. Renew me each morning with your steadfast love, that I may rejoice and be glad all my days.
CONFESSION OF SIN & PRAYER FOR GRACE
Almighty God, in whom we live and move and have our being, you have made us for yourself, so that our hearts are restless until they rest in you. Yet in my foolishness I have not trusted you, nor rested in my election as your beloved child. I confess my unbelief. Lord, grant me purity of heart and strength of purpose. Let no selfish passion hinder me from knowing your will, nor weakness from doing your will. In your light may I see light, and in your service find perfect freedom; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
OT READING: Isaiah 40:21-31
THE LORD’S PRAYER
NT READING: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31
PRAYER OF ADORATION:
O Lord: I rejoice today in the folly and scandal of the cross. Thank you that your foolishness is wiser than men, and your weakness is stronger than men. By your doing, I am in Christ Jesus; He is my wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. I rest and rejoice in him alone.
PSALM READING: Psalm 112
PRAYER OF CONSECRATION
As I meditate on this psalm, I long to be like the righteous man it describes. I want to delight in your commands and deal generously with everyone. I would love to be steady and unmoved in the face of difficult times, shining like a light. And yet I know my struggles and fears, my failures and shortcomings. So thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, that you perfectly embodied this ideal on my behalf. You are the one whose righteousness endures forever. You are the one who is gracious and merciful, never moved, always steadfast, abundantly generous. And You are re-making me in your likeness. Because I am united with you, I am becoming more and more like the righteous person this psalm describes. So today, I surrender to your transforming work in my life. Make me a little more generous than yesterday; a little more steady-in-faith than yesterday; a little more righteous than yesterday. Help me today to fear you and walk in your commandments, by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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.