Brotherly Affection

Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;

--Romans 12:10 (NKJV)

Loving Lord,

Help me to check my motives, making sure they are pure, so that when I show honor to someone else, I do it with kind affection, out of a heart of brotherly love.

I don’t want to be that guy that is only kind to others in order to gain some benefit for himself.   

Instead, I want to be that guy that is kind to others because his heart is overflowing with gratefulness for the love and affectionate kindness that has been shown to him by His Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ.

I want to honor others because they have been created in Your image and given life in order to become Your children—and as such, my brothers and sisters in Christ.  

I want to honor the unique gifts You have given each one so that they might live for You and fulfill the plan You have for them.

I want to lay aside my competiveness and take my delight in seeing another person’s efforts praised, rather than my own efforts—rejoicing in Christ for them and the gifts You have specifically blessed them with for Your glory.

Help me to check my motives, making sure they are pure, so that when I show honor to someone else, I do it with kind affection, out of a heart of brotherly love.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Strength Building God's Way

Two are better than one,
    because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down,
    one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
    and has no one to help them up.
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
    But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered,
    two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

--Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NIV)

Heavenly Father,

Thank You, for Your Word that tells me that two people are better than one, and further tells me that two people who put You in the center of their relationship, form a three strand cord that cannot easily be broken.

Thank You, for helping me understand that You designed life for companionship rather than for isolation—that Your plan calls for me to have intimacy with others, rather than lead a solitary, lonely lifestyle of mistrust and fear of close relationships.

You didn’t place me here to serve myself, gathering up and hoarding the good things of life for my own pleasure.  You placed me here to serve You and to serve others.

Thank You, for showing me how two are able to do so much more than one can do alone—by helping, encouraging, sharing, comforting and defending each other. 

Thank You, that two people who join together and allow You to fill their lives with Your power and presence form a mighty spiritual force that is not easily broken.

Thank You, for Your Word that tells me that two people are better than one, and further tells me that two people who put You in the center of their relationship, form a three strand cord that cannot easily be broken.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Drawing The Fault Line

He who covers and forgives an offense seeks love, but he who repeats or harps on a matter separates even close friends.

--Proverbs 17:9 (AMP)

Forgiving God,

I don’t want to be a fault finder, but rather, I want to be a fault forgiver—keeping guard over my relationships with others.

I know that I am a man of many faults, prone to offend and in need of the  love and forgiveness of others.  And so, out of a grateful heart for the love that has been so liberally poured out on me by You, my God, I want to cover the faults of others with forgiveness for any offense that they committed against me.

Help me never to forget how love grows and prospers when I choose to forgive another person’s faults, so that I am always ready to disregard those things which, if left to grow, would breed bitterness and resentment in me towards another.

Help me never to escalate an argument by bringing up all the mistakes that the other person has ever made—thinking that somehow I will justify my position by cruelly attacking the person.  But rather, remind me that love would keep its mouth shut—even as difficult as that may be for me to do—and so preserve the relationship.

I know that I may never be able to perfectly forgive and forget every fault or offense, but keep me on track to continue to become more like Your Son, Jesus, letting love be my guide in all of my interactions with others.

I don’t want to be a fault finder, but rather, I want to be a fault forgiver—keeping guard over my relationships with others.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Love, Power, And A Sound Mind

This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

--2 Timothy 1:6-7 (NLT)

Gracious God,

Thank You, for the spiritual gifts You have placed deep on the inside of me and help me, by Your grace, to boldly and fearlessly use them in love, for Your glory.

Just as one would stir up the buried embers of a slowly burning fire and then fan them into roaring flames, so help me to stir up the gifts that You have placed deep within me and keep them burning brightly for You.

Your Word shows me that I must exercise these gifts, in order that they might increase and not dwindle into uselessness in me.  So help me to seek out every opportunity to use them for Your glory.

I know that the greatest hindrance to my taking every opportunity to use my gifts is fear, but You have armed me against the spirit of fear, for fear does not come from You.

Rather, You have given me a spirit of power—to face any opposition or obstacle with courage and resolution, delivered from cowardice or timidity, by the name of Jesus, the one Who has all power.

You have given me a spirit of love—for You, which causes me to rise above the fear of man, and for the souls of man, which causes me to reach out in compassion to others.

You have given me a spirit of a calm and well-balanced mind—so that in quietness of mind, I can remain peacefully disciplined and self-controlled, speaking only words of Truth and Life.

Thank You, for the spiritual gifts You have placed deep on the inside of me and help me, by Your grace, to boldly and fearlessly use them in love, for Your glory.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Staying Salty

“Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other.”

--Mark 9:50 (NLT)

Dear Heavenly Father,

You have made me to be salt in this world.  Let me never lose my saltiness—that is, my desire to share the good news of Your love!

I want always to remember Your faithfulness to me.  So, just as Your people would use salt, as a reminder of Your faithfulness, when they offered sacrifices to You, I want the living sacrifice of my life to You, to be seasoned with salt, out of my gratefulness for Your faithfulness to me.

I want to affect the world around me because of my allegiance to Jesus and to the gospel, and improve the “taste” of the world around me, just as salt improves the flavor of food.

I want to be used by You, just as salt is used to keep food from decaying, to fight against the decay of morals and values in our world.

Help me to keep my “saltiness” as I commit to spend time in Your presence—through Your Word and through prayer and meditation.

Along with my brothers and sisters in Christ, help me to do my part by never failing to remember Your faithfulness to me, and to act, out of a heart of service and humility to others, to preserve peace and unity among us, so that our commitment to Christ and to the good news will not be hindered, and we will effectively be able to “salt” the earth together.

You have made me to be salt in this world.  Let me never lose my saltiness—that is, my desire to share the good news of Your love!

In the name of Jesus, Amen.