St Peters RC Church Hamilton

“The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge, but He overturns the words of the faithless.” (Proverbs 22 v 12)

Thank goodness for this!

We must pursue the grace available to us,

When we gain a heart of wisdom by praying.

Wisdom and truth go hand in hand spiritually,

In the blessed realm of holiness built up by prayer.

“Be sure that you are devoted in prayer, that you have a disciplined prayer life, so that you are alert spiritually, living in dependence on the Lord and thankful to Him in all things.” (Colossians 4 v 2 The Truth)

Prayer is where we come together

With our Father, our Saviour Brother,

And the Spirit who is our Sanctifier,

Because we belong to the Three.

Catastrophically life went wrong through sin.

“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14 v 34)

The problem was we could not keep the law.

Sinful by nature, the law condemns us.

The Lord Jesus hung on the †to rectify this.

Salvation comes from the Lord of all holiness,

Setting us free through forgiveness from manifold failure.

“How wonderful to be liberated now from all the condemnation this continual failure brought us. For those who live in Christ Jesus have been set free from all condemnation.” (Romans 8 v 1, 2 The Truth)

We still are meant to observe the law,

Which is set for the benefit of all humanity.

We can enhance our morality by looking to Jesus,

By praying, calling on the Spirit to help us.

If we fail, forgiveness is found in repentance.

“Through Christ Jesus a different principle now lives in me, a new law: the Spirit of Life. He has set me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8 v 2 The Truth)

So law abiding or not, we need to pray!

If we disobey, we must pray to express remorse.

Then of course, to offer thanks for forgiveness.

If we are succeeding as the Lord’s works in progress,

We must pray and say how grateful we are.

“Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness...Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities...Renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from

Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.” (Psalm 51 v 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)

The law is not set to be a burden,

But a means of safekeeping for everybody.

When we obey we live in God’s way,

Which is peaceful, hoping thereby to honour Him.

For this we rely prayerfully on God’s Spirit of help.

“It is impossible for man to save anyone; but all things are possible with God.” (Matthew 9 v 26 The Truth)

“Under the law I could not do what God wanted because of my weak, sinful nature. God dealt with that by sending His own Son to become man, to live among sinners and then to make His life a sinless offering to God on their behalf.” (Romans 8 v 3 The Truth)

Let us pray with thanksgiving for our salvation, whilst also asking for the resolve to live victoriously, heeding the Spirit who calls us to love at all times, so as to fulfil all that is asked of us. To love being the task

the Lord Jesus sets us, yet although the law teaches us as to what pleases God and what is sinful, we could not live up to its high standards. For even when wanting to do what we know is right in God’s sight, our

sinful nature was ready to control us, urging us to do what suits us.

This is a constant battle we will lose unless we turn to Jesus and call on the promised Helper, the Holy Spirit to save us from this predicament. What a lot we have to pray about! Let us pray to no longer be a slave to

sin, but a follower of the Lord Jesus, equipped and enabled by the Spirit, to keep the law of love. Amen.