The Message of the Cross 

Heavenly Father I praise You for all of creation and the intentions You had for us, and the ones You have for us now. I praise You for sending Your Son Jesus so that we could see how we should live, learn wisdom, and then have the gift of salvation because of His death and resurrection. I praise You for sending the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to walk with us daily and to give us wisdom and understanding. I praise You that the Holy Spirit can fill in and pray when we have no words to express the deepest parts of our hearts.

I understand and believe that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to me, because I am saved it is the power that comes from You. [1 Corinthians 1:18] I also believe that I do not lack any spiritual gift as I eagerly wait for Jesus to be revealed. For I know and trust that He will also keep me firm until the end, so that I will be blameless on the day of Our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called me into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. [1 Corinthians 1:7-9]

Holy Spirit I understand that because of the cross and the resurrection of Jesus, I, a non-jew, (or Biblical terms a gentile) and afforded salvation and I do not have to come under the law of the Old Testament. I understand that I still need to live by the principles of God and follow the commands that Christ laid out during His time here on the earth and the direction the Holy Spirit inspired the apostles to write for our benefit to understand how we should live. I also understand that there is a penalty for sin, but through the grace and mercy of Christ’s salvation, I can have all that covered under the blood and live life as a free person. I also understand that this means striving to live a righteous life, leaving sin behind and building God’s kingdom here on the earth while I live. I also know that I must demonstrate God’s love to all people as He demonstrates love to me.

Grace and peace be multiplied to you 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 own 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 to 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 of 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