Heavenly Father, I praise You and glorify Your name. I give You praise and glory for all You have done, are doing, and will do. I praise You for being a God, not only a creator but one who loves to interact with His creation. I praise You for Your Son, Jesus, who sacrificed to become a human, live among us as an average person, and then pay for our sins on the cross after three years of teaching and living before us. I praise You that the death on the cross was only the beginning of what Christ was going to accomplish. I praise You for the empty tomb, the time spent before the Ascension, and the coming of the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room.
Holy Spirit, You inspired Luke to write about Christ telling how He healed the ten lepers. He told them to go show themselves to the priest, as was the law of the time when someone was healed. One leper, realizing he was healed, returned to Christ and “fell on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. Jesus said, ‘Were there not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Were
there not any found to return and give glory to God except this foreigner?’ Then He said to him, ‘Rise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.’” [Luke 17:11-19] How often does God bless us, answer us, heal us, and we do not acknowledge Him when talking to others. Help me to always acknowledge God and what he has done before I go on to witness what has transpired. For without God, what good is my faith?
Holy Spirit, You inspired Paul to write: Since I am raised with Christ, I will learn to desire those things that are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God. Help me to set my affection on things above, not be consumed or love things on the earth. For I am dead, and my life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is my life, shall appear, then I also shall appear with Him in glory. Teach me to put to death the parts of my earthly nature: sexual immorality, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because I am learning that these things, the wrath of God comes on the sons of disobedience. I used to live that life with them. I must now
put away all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, and filthy language out of my mouth. I can no longer lie to others, for that was part of my old nature or way, because I am embracing the new nature to emulate Christ, who has been and is becoming my all in all. Thank You for being my guide and prompter as I grow in Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen. [Colossians 3:1-11, MEV and paraphrased by me]