St Peters RC Church Hamilton

With so much that is wrong in society, please help us to become beacons of light, the love of the Lord Jesus shining through us as we respond to the Spirit’s wise calling, His guidance, His prompt and His inspiration.

Father, forgive our sinful, foolish, arrogant ways and start us off anew through Your mercy.

Let us be filled by Your Spirit of love, of service, He who through the Lord Jesus, enables us to live up to Your highest standards of behaviour, without compromise or deviation or neglect seeing the benefit upon

many.

Jesus is Lord, Jesus is life, this must be our daily aim and focus, not only because we are blessed when we are righteous, but because it is Your will dearest Father, that we live according to the way the Lord Jesus as

Saviour shows to us.

Thank You that we are not left to struggle on our own, feeling abandoned or hopeless, because the reach for heaven seems impossibly far away. You have filled our heart and mind with hope, peace and joy when we

experience life lived alongside the Lord, who comes to us to save us, to call sinners to righteousness.

“In fact, if we rejoice in the Lord we will always be thanking You, heavenly Father, for the way You order our life, because we are so grateful that we live in Christ Jesus, our Lord,” (based on Ephesians 5 v 20 The Truth) our Saviour and Master, but also the One who shepherds us safely.

Let us be “Kept away from the paths of the destroyer,” (Psalm 17 v 4) for satan is an arch deceiver, a real enemy to our wellbeing and spiritual progress. We must, must, must be able to stand firm against him,

prowling around to devour us.

Thank You that the Lord of all righteousness is ever here to help us by the Spirit of purity. “Uphold our steps in Your paths” the way to live as shown us by the Lord our Saviour, “That our footsteps may not slip,” (based on Psalm 17 v 5) satan luring us away.

“I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; incline Your ear to me” (v 6) please. “Show Your marvellous loving kindness” (v 7) to us as followers of the Lord Jesus, His works in progress, needing and heeding the Holy Spirit of wisdom, of correction, of discipline.

“Keep us as the apple of Your eye; hide us under the shadow of Your wings,” (v 8) the outstretched arms of love as Jesus is nailed to the † to save us from our sinfulness. Guard us “From the wicked who oppress us,” (based on v 9) the world being full of trickery. They are “Deadly enemies who surround us “(Cont) and we must be aware of this.

Thank You that we have the answer to sin and satan, the answer being in the adhering to the new life the Lord Jesus has won for us at the †. There is no condemnation here, but multiple blessings.

It is in all sincerity we can say as we pray, grateful for the blessings which are manifold, according to the righteousness the Lord Jesus wins for us and offers to us by the beneficial work of the Holy Spirit, we can state our claim.

“As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness,” (Psalm 17 v 15) all thanks ever be to the Almighty Trinity. How vital righteousness is to us.

It would seem St John was thinking of this when he wrote: “He has already made us His children and it is still to be revealed what we will become when Jesus comes again.” (1 John 3 v 2 the Truth) We await in hopeful expectation.

“However, we do know this, that at that time we shall be like Him. Yes, when we see Him in the fullness of who He is, we shall be transformed into His likeness,” (Cont) praise be!

“Everyone who believes this wonderful truth keeps him (her) self pure in the way (s)he lives, for Christ Jesus is pure; we are one with Him and our destiny is to be united with Him forever. This is our hope,” (v 3) a hope very well founded and full of joy.

Dearest Father, thank You so much for the right standing the life, death and resurrection the Lord of our hope wins for us. Ever let us worship whilst realising that this is not the end of the matter.

We are advised “ ‘Behold, happy is the (wo)man whom God corrects; therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.” (Job 5 v 17) It is up to us as to what we do with the righteousness won for us.

May we never forget this, ignore this nor abandon this truth, this marvellous, most loving kindness of considering us as having been made righteous by the love of the Lord Jesus as Saviour and Redeemer, showing us the way to live, the path of life to take.

Father, Son and Holy Spirit, “In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16 v 11) I praise You. I thank You. I esteem and exalt You, seriously indebted to Your ever loving mercy, grace and favour. For all that You are and all that You do for us, I rejoice. Amen.