Father, I thank You that Your grace humbles me without degrading me and elevates me without inflating me. You have accorded me great dignity and worth, but without You I am nothing and have nothing. I am grateful that You have given me the holy invitation to participate in something that extends so far beyond me that I can only revel in Your kindness, grace, and compassion. I fully acknowledge that You can very well accomplish Your intentions without me, and yet You invite me to participate in what will last forever. I ask for a growing clarity about Your unique purposes for my life, so that I can live into those purposes by Your grace and become the person you created me to be, accomplishing the works you have prepared beforehand for me.

• The grace of God humbles us without degrading us, and elevates us without inflating us.

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Lord God, I so often try to persuade You that my plans and hopes are in my best interests and then ask You to bless them. But when I really think about it, how can I know what is really best for me? I can only judge by appearances, but You look ahead to the outcomes. Only You see and hold the future, and I want to confess that only You know what is truly best for me. Grant that I would become increasingly willing to let loose of my fond aspirations and embrace what You know is really in my best interests. I know I will have to wrestle with this all my life, because I often struggle with what You bring into my life and tell me to do. It is only when I embrace Your goodness and wisdom that I can stop wrestling with Your good plans and purposes.

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God of Glory, the narrative of Your extraordinary and creative program of redemption that is revealed in the pages of Your Holy Word boggles the mind and transcends our imagination. In Your sovereign power and wisdom, you transmute evil into good. What people mean for evil, You turn to ultimate good, and all this without violating the dignity of freedom You have given us as moral beings who, though fallen, are nevertheless created in Your image. You have progressively revealed Your nature and purposes in the history of Your people and in the pages of Scripture. You accomplish Your loving intentions through the obedience of Your people and in spite of their frequent disobedience. I ask that I would be used by You as a willing part of Your purposes, so that I can participate in what You are about.

• Reflect on the truth that what people mean for evil, God turns to ultimate good.

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Dear Father, grant me a childlike enthusiasm and wonder at all that You are and all that You have done in heaven above and earth below. Let me revel in Your many deliverances and kindnesses that You have imparted to me. You have given me vitality, hope and purpose, and I acknowledge that all of life is gift and grace. I ask that I would not merely live on the surface of life, but that I would sink my roots deep into the soil of Your love and draw my vitality from the water of Your Word. May I be rooted and grounded in Your love, and may I take the time I need for reflection, renewal and rest, so that I will know You better and become increasingly like You. Then I will be a contemplative in action, a person of depth and breadth, and one who has learned the secret of living from the inside out.

• How often do you reflect on God’s deliverances and kindnesses in your life?

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Lord God, Your love for me is causeless and ceaseless and measureless. You have loved me because You have chosen to do so, not because of anything I am or have done. This is the wellspring of my true security, and I revel in Your unconditional love and acceptance, knowing that I could never have earned it or merited it. This frees me to be the person You intended me to be—secure enough in Your love so that I can love and serve others. May I show kindness and compassion for people, even when they may turn against me. Give me the grace to be a peacemaker and a reconciler with the people You sovereignly place in my path. Let me learn to see my love, fidelity and service to them as an expression of who I am to You and who You are to me.

• What are the implications of the causeless, ceaseless, and measureless love of God for your life?

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Dear Lord, You alone are the fountainhead of all that is good, true and beautiful. I know that if I want life, I must pursue You above all else. May I say with David, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Psalm 42). I have nowhere else to turn, for You alone are the source of all that I want in my heart of hearts. By Your grace I will not succumb to the idolatry of having any other god before You. I will put You first and foremost in my affection and choices, because I know that You alone are worthy of all honor, glory and praise. May I fear to displease You and long to lay hold of that which You want for me. You are my shepherd and I am one of your flock. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

• Learning to put God first and foremost in our affection and choices.

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Living God, may I never place my security in people or performance, but only in Your character and promises. Deliver me from the plague of insecurity and anxiety that can cripple me and erode my faith in You. I want to be increasingly defined by Your truth and not by the lies of a fleeting and broken world. May I be Your person, even in times of trouble and stress, knowing that from You and through You and to You are all things. Grant that as I cast all my anxiety on You, I will experience Your peace and make choices that are honoring to You, instead of foolish decisions that spring from fear and disbelief. Thank You for the grace of forgiveness when I do things that are displeasing to You. I am grateful that there is no sin that is so great that it would prevent You from welcoming me back when I come to my senses and return to You.

• In what ways are we tempted to place our security in the wrong things?

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O Lord, keep me from the folly of following what the world tells me to clamor for. I realize that biblical faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. And I know that it takes a great deal of trust and risk to pursue the invisible over the visible and the not-yet over the now. But hope that is seen is not hope, and if I hope for what I do not see, with perseverance I will wait eagerly for it. I will welcome Your promises from a distance and confess that I am a stranger and exile on the earth. May I trust You enough to treasure Your invisible promises over the visible promises of the world, knowing that only Your promises will endure in the end, and that the world is passing away. You have been faithful to me in the past and I will hope in You for the future.

• Biblical faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

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Father God, I rejoice in the truth that You have chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and have chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things that are strong. I acknowledge that You have the power to use me in remarkable ways in spite of my inadequacies and weaknesses. You are not impressed with the things that impress people, but You deign to use those who, through humility, are willing to depend entirely on You and not on their position or power. I see that the things that are highly esteemed among people are detestable in Your sight, and that it is foolish to be impressed by the things that impress people. I ask for the grace to live and serve others out of my weakness and thus out of Your strength. Let me be impressed by the things that are truly pleasing to You.

• How can we learn to serve others out of our weakness and God’s strength?

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Lord God, You have progressively revealed Your person, powers and perfections through the course of Your dealings with people in the pages of Scripture. It is through Your revelation that I can see Your glorious attributes of holiness, love, mercy and justice. I find with the passing of time that Your patience with Your people is astonishing. I give thanks for Your forbearance and kindness and for Your willingness to endure my waywardness. But at the same time, I ask that I would not foolishly test the limits of Your patience and presume on Your grace. You discipline me when I stray too far, and I desire to take the better course of staying near rather than straying far. I know that the way of obedience is life-giving and that the way of disobedience is death-dealing.

• Are you growing in your awareness of the patience and forbearance of God?

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