Sin – Page 2 – The Gospel Rocks

December 3, 2020December 3, 2020

A Prayer to the Lord of Glory

Heavenly Father, you proclaim to us that Jesus is the Lord of glory, yet we often view glory according to the flesh. We regard princes and princesses, seeking to be among those who are rich, beautiful, and popular, and despairing when we are not. This affects how we treat our neighbors, whom we are called to love without favoritism. Forgive us for dishonoring the poor, those weak in the eyes of the world, and forgetting that you have not disdained us, but welcomed us in mercy. Forgive us and give us a biblical perspective on glory. Help us to see that if anyone is in Christ – new creation – and we are to regard them not by the flesh, that is, by worldly standards. We ask this in Jesus’ name, amen. (Based on James 2:1-8 and 2 Cor. 5)

September 21, 2020September 18, 2020

Another Prayer Based on Jonah 1

Gracious God and Father, we humble ourselves before you and plead for forgiveness today. Isaiah tells us that sin separates us from you, and we know it all too well. Sin also separates us from the neighbors we are called to love. You care for everything and everyone you created, but we are focused only on ourselves. When we run away from you and your paths of righteousness, we go downward and inward, like Jonah asleep in the ship’s cabin. Forgive our many sins and turn our souls towards you and others. Instill compassion in us that we may be like you, full of mercy, abounding in steadfast love. Make us steadfast in our confession of faith and enable us to live in accord with our confession. Thank you for our Savior, who seeks and saves the lost, stills the storms, and purchases our forgiveness with his life, amen.
Based on Jonah 1

September 5, 2020September 1, 2020

A Prayer from Micah 5

Holy God, there is none like you. We bow down before your infinite majesty, your perfect justice, and your inexplicable mercy. You have done what human ‘wisdom’ cannot explain—bestowed salvation on those weak and lowly, saved us through Christ crucified. We give thanks to you for saving us through faith in Christ. You have done this despite our craving of worldly significance, worldly power, and worldly glory. Our sinful quest for significance has manifested a conformity to the world’s thinking and has resulted in our mistreating others whom we deem insignificant, those who cannot help us climb the world’s ladder of significance. We have foolishly thought ourselves significant because of worldly accomplishments, forgetting that they are all rubbish compared to knowing Christ, and being found in him. Therefore, our sins before you should relegate us to insignificance forever; yet in profound mystery, you have saved us from our sins. We thank you for the Shepherd-King born in Bethlehem who is our peace with you. By your Spirit, transform us to view “significance” rightly—as loving justice and mercy, as walking humbly with our God. Make us rejoice in the significance you have bestowed on us by redeeming us, setting your name on us, placing your Spirit within our hearts. With this hope, preserve us in the trials and sufferings of this present world, For we pray in the name of Jesus, amen. (Drawn from Micah 5)