Out Of Darkness

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

—1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)

Heavenly Father,

Let me forever declare Your praises—for You are the One who called me out of darkness into Your marvelous and wonderful light.

Thank You that You chose me—that You wanted me before You ever created me—and that You gave me the privilege of choosing You back.

Thank You that You called me to be a part of a chosen people—the family of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ—and to be distinctly different from this world in which I live.

Thank You that You invited me to be a part of a royal priesthood—a royalty that flows from my adoption into Your family—and that my justification, by the blood of Christ, and my sanctification, by the power of the Holy Spirit at work in me, make my service to You holy and acceptable in Your sight.

Thank You that I am privileged to be a part of a holy nation—joined with other believers, committed to following Your commandments, and consecrated to You under the Lordship of Christ Jesus.

Thank You that I am included as part of Your special possession—and that as such, I am given the privilege of declaring Your story of salvation, as told through my life, by both my words and my actions, to a lost and dying world.

Let me forever declare Your praises—for You are the One who called me out of darkness into Your marvelous and wonderful light.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

To Be Pleasing

May the words of my mouth
    and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing to you,
    O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

—Psalm 19:14 (NLT)

Heavenly Father,

Help me commit to this simple, but high standard throughout this new day:  Let the words that I say and the thoughts I ponder, be pleasing to You.

Let my heart be so filled with gratitude and love for You, that I never cease to allow Your love to guide what I say and permeate my every thought. 

Let every word that escapes from my lips, go forth with Your blessing—and be released to Your delight.

Let every thought that I invite to dance within my head and dwell within my heart carry Your approval—and bring You great pleasure.

For You are the firm and solid foundation upon which I have chosen to build my life, the One who has redeemed me from the ultimate consequence of my sin—which is death—and given me life, with You, forever.

Help me commit to this simple, but high standard throughout this new day:  Let the words that I say and the thoughts I ponder, be pleasing to You.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Proudly Boasting About You

God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. 

Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”

--1 Corinthians 1:30-31 (NLT)

Gracious God,

May every boast I make only be in total praise to You!

Thank You for uniting me with Christ Jesus, Your Son, so that I can walk in the blessing of being joined to wisdom itself.

I want to shout Your praises, because You have done this work in me! 

By Your gift of Christ Jesus, I am made acceptable and put in right-standing with You.  By His transforming power, I am made pure and holy.  By His sacrifice of Himself for my sin, the power of sin in my life has been broken.

I can see that anything good in me has come from You alone.

May every boast I make only be in total praise to You!

In the name of Jesus, Amen.