Heavenly Father, I praise You for placing me where You needed me the most and where I would have the opportunity to flourish the most. I praise You for the community I grew up in and the one I live in now. I praise You for my village of Millington, Michigan, and its tight-knit group of people. We have weathered some harsh deaths, suicides, births, and growing and shrinking phases. We have cheered for Softball state champions and for Football state champions. My Church is my family and also a great community. We celebrate this community this weekend with OLD FASHIONED DAYS. People need to feel community, respect, friendship, and fun times to get through the hard times. Help me today to take command of my day and shake the evil from it. Brothers and sisters,[f] we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20 By his death,[g] Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. 21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22 let us go
right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near. [Hebrews 10:19-25, NLT] Holy Spirit, help me to be a good neighbor and emulate Christ in my community and to encourage my fellow believers at my church and the ones within my community.
For this reason, I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches, he may strengthen me with power through His Spirit in my inner being, so that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith. And I pray that I, being rooted and established in love, may have power,
together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that I may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all I ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within me, to Him be glory, Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:14-21