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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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.

Prayer for the Morning

Oh Lord, most heavenly Father, Almighty and everlasting God, who has safely brought me to the beginning of this day; I give you thanks for my creation, preservation, and all the blessings of my life. Grant that this day I fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger; but that all my doings, being governed by your will, may be righteous in your sight. Through Christ our Lord, I pray.

Prayer for Grace and Strength

Lord God, I pray that you will fill my heart with the blessing of your Holy Spirit. Grant me this day the strength to be temperate in all things, diligent in my duties, and patient under my afflictions. Direct me in all my ways. Give me grace to be just and upright in all my dealings; quiet and peaceable; full of compassion; and ready to do good to all people, according to my abilities and opportunities. For the sake of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,

Community of Prayer

Heavenly Lord, I know I am not alone saying these prayers or reading your Word this morning, but many people unknown to me, from all stations of life, have joined together in this brief moment of devotion. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be among the community of all who pray in the name of Christ this morning, and remain among us always.

Think of the day ahead in terms of God with you, and visualize health, strength, guidance, purity, calm confidence, and victory as the gifts of His presence.

Isaiah 58:8

1 John 2:12-14 (ESV)

Notes on the Scripture

John's poem unfortunately loses most of its impact in translation. Although it was written in Greek, the poetic form is Hebrew. An introductory phrase is repeated, followed by a variety of answering phrases. We still see this basic construction occasionally in modern poems and songs, such as the chorus of His Eye is on the Sparrow:

But there is an oddity in John's song. Why does he write? You would think he would write someone because they are doing something wrong and he wants to straighten them out, or because they don't understand something. But he says that he writes because the recipients are doing something right. Take the first line: "I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake.

This is different from what we would expect. We would expect something more like, "I am writing you to tell you the good news, that your sins can be forgiven . . ."

John is, in effect, practicing what he preaches. He has spent much of his epistle instructing the reader in how they should love one another, and now, he is going to do it instead of just telling others what they should do. He wants to take the time to share fellowship with his audience, to tell them that they are the same as he is. It is an act of love, the writing of a poem of shared joy and belief. It is not quite praise, but at least affirmation, that the reader is fully loved and forgiven in the eyes of God.

Farewell of Paul and Peter, by Alonzo Rodriguez (16th century).

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