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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.

(Additional prayers may be found at Prayers for All Occasions.)

Friendship

Romans 3:27-31 (ESV)

The Righteousness of God Through Faith [2]

Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded.

By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also?

Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one — who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

Notes on the Scripture

"Our boasting" is that of the Jews, who constantly spoke of their righteousness before the true God. The new Christians can no longer boast of salvation, because it is not their works that have saved them; it is God's forgiveness.

How can a person boast of a gift he has been given, when everyone has been given the same gift? Our only accomplishment, in our salvation, is accepting a gift that has been given everyone, Jew and Gentile.

The great temptation brought to mind by Paul's words is the temptation to pride when we attend church and Sunday school. There is certainly no wrong in feeling good about ourselves when we leave a service of worship. We should expect to feel refreshed. But we should also be wary, for it can lead us to pride.

The gifts of earth create temptation to sin. As Martin Luther wrote, "As wealth is the test of poverty, . . . honors the test of humility, feast the tests of temperance, pleasures the test of chastity, so ceremonies are the test of righteousness by faith." If we make the mistake of thinking that we have saved ourselves by going to church, we reject the doctrine of salvation by faith. Most denominations instruct their members in a discipline of church attendance, and many rejoice in our salvation by sacramental ceremony. But never boast of it. We must not let our worship interfere with our faith!

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