Word of Encouragement (03/28/2022)

Here is a morning prayer of John Baillie’s to start this week:

“O God my Creator and Redeemer, I cannot go into this day unless you accompany me with your blessings. Do not let the vigor and freshness of the morning, or the glow of health, or the present success of my life deceive me into a false reliance upon my own strength. All these good gifts have come to me from you. They were yours to give and are yours to take away. They are not mine to keep; I am your steward, and only by continuing to depend on you, the Giver, can they be enjoyed with integrity.

“Let me then give back into your hands all that you have given me, redirecting to your service all I can do with my mind and body, all my possessions, and all my influence with others. All these are yours to use as you want, Father. All these are yours, Christ Jesus. All these are yours, Holy Spirit. O my Lord, speak in my words today, think in my thoughts, and work in all my actions. Thank you that it is your gracious will to make use of me, even at my weakest, to fulfill your mighty purpose for the world. Let my life today be a channel through which at least a little of your love and compassion may reach the lives of those around me.

“In your presence, O God, I remember all my friends and neighbors, those who live in this area, and especially those who are poor, asking you to give me grace to serve them wholeheartedly in your name.

“O blessed Jesus, you used your own life for the redemption of your human brothers and sisters. You gave no thought to your comfort or earthly gain, but you filled up your hours and days with deeds of selfless love. Give me grace today to follow the road that you walked; and to your name be all the glory and the praise, even to the end. Amen.”

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