Heavenly Father I praise You for giving parents to me that encourage a good work ethic and the excitement to learn. I praise You for learning to love history and to be aware of nature around me. I praise You for being taught the love of worship, music, beauty, and hard work. I praise You for the man I have become because of the wisdom I gained from my parents, mentors, teachers, and friends.
Your word says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” Help me to work hard, be diligent, and be as accurate as I can be as I read the Bible, learn from Christian authors, and do my job where I am a living testimony of who You are in me. Let people see in me one who is dedicated to working hard because I represent You. Let me learn to live my life as Peter wrote: “But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.” [1 Peter 1:15; 1 Peter 5:6; 1 Peter 5:7; 1 Peter 3:15&16]
Grace and peace will be multiplied to me through the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given to me all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of God who has called me to His glory and excellence, by which He has given to me exceedingly great and precious promises so that through these things I might become a partaker of the divine nature and escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. For this reason, help me to make every effort to add virtue to my faith; and to my virtue, knowledge, and to my knowledge, self-control; and to my self-control, patient endurance; and to my patient endurance, godliness; and to my godliness, brotherly kindness; and my brotherly kindness love. For if all of these reside in me and abound, they will ensure that I will neither be useless nor unfruitful in the knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord. Help me to diligently make my calling and election sure so that when I add all these areas into my life I will not stumble and will be able to enter into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ which will be abundantly provided for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 2 Peter 1:3-11 MEV version