Heavenly Father,
I come before You with a heart full of gratitude and awe. You are the Holy One, the Creator of all, and the source of my life. I quiet my heart to focus on You and the depth of Your love.
Lord, I thank You for the Gospel, the incredible good news of salvation. I thank You for the profound invitation into a new and eternal life through Your Son, Jesus Christ.
I remember and believe in the miracle of His incarnation. His virgin birth, a sign of Your divine plan.
I praise You for His perfect, sinless life. From His humble childhood and His quiet years as a carpenter to His public ministry, He was temperate, compassionate, and perfectly obedient to You.
I remember His ministry, how He taught with authority, healed the sick, embraced the outcast, and revealed Your heart to a broken world.
I confess the tragedy of His unjust condemnation and the unimaginable agony of His passion. He was mocked, beaten, and crucified, bearing the full weight of my sin, of all our sin.
Thank You, Jesus, for Your sacrifice. Thank You for Your death on the cross, which paid the debt I could never pay.
And thank You, God, for the ultimate victory... His glorious resurrection. You raised Him from the dead, defeating sin and death forever.
All of this You did for me. All of this You did out of a love I cannot fully comprehend.
In light of this incredible sacrifice, Lord, reshape my heart. Help me to live by Your two greatest commandments.
First, help me to love You, my God, with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind, and with all my strength. May You be my first priority, my deepest passion, and the center of my life.
Second, and flowing from that, help me to love others deeply and authentically. In a culture that promotes division and self-interest, make me a source of Your love. Break down my tendency to create "enemies." Instead, let me see every person as someone You created and died for. Give me a spirit of forgiveness before a spirit of judgment. Make me quick to extend grace and slow to condemn, just as You have done for me.
Jesus, reorient my entire life to Your "upside-down kingdom."
Free me from the world's values… the endless pursuit of power, the addiction to status, the scramble for wealth, and the trap of self-centeredness.
May Your red letters, the very words You spoke, be the guide for my thoughts, my words, and my actions.
Help me to truly take to heart the message of the Beatitudes:
To be poor in spirit, finding my total dependence in You.
To mourn over my sin and the brokenness of the world.
To be meek, trading my arrogance for Your humility.
To hunger and thirst for righteousness, not for my own success.
To be merciful, as I have been shown mercy.
To be pure in heart, focused on You alone.
To be a peacemaker in a world of conflict.
And to rejoice when I am persecuted for Your name.
Let me find my greatness in service, my strength in weakness, and my life in laying it down for others, just as You did.
And so, Father, I offer all of this in praise and adoration. You are my God, my Rock, my Redeemer, my Shepherd, and my King. You are holy, just, merciful, and faithful.
Thank You for all that You are. Thank You for all You have done for me. You created me, You rescued me from sin, You sustain me with Your grace every single day, and You have secured an eternal future for me.
All that I am and all that I have is Yours.
All glory, honor, and praise be to You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
In the powerful and precious name of Jesus Christ, I pray.
Amen.