Sunday, Week 10

Beloved, I pray that in every way you may prosper and enjoy good health, as your soul also prospers.
— 3 John 1:2 (BSB)

A consecrated life is both a prayer life and a thanksgiving life.
— E.M. Bounds

O God of love, we render You hearty thanks for all Your mercies — but especially for Your unspeakable gift, Jesus Christ, Your Son, in whom all gifts and blessings are included. We thank You that You loved us in our sin, not waiting for us to come to You with our love, to win Your love — but that You commend Your love to us in that while we were yet sinners, Jesus died for us. We humbly adore this wonderful love, without which we would have perished forever in our sins.

O may our hearts respond to Your love. Our love is so small in comparison with Yours — so unworthy, so fickle and uncertain, that we are ashamed to present it to You. Have mercy upon us, O God, and grant to us more of Your grace and of Your Holy Spirit, that our love may be deepened and strengthened.

May this Sunday be blessed to us. Fix in our hearts, all good things heard and learned. Sanctify to us all our worship, the instruction we have received, the holy impressions made upon us. Accept what we have tried to do to help and bless others.

Bless us again as a family as we bow at Your feet. Give us many rich blessings out of Your own grace. Bless our mingling together this day. May our home friendships become more and more deep and tender. Teach us how to love each other better. Preserve us from those miserable little faults that mar the life of love in so many homes — criticism, impatience, discourtesy, thoughtlessness, lack of gentleness. May love so abound in each heart, that our home life may be sweet and full of blessing.

We creep beneath the shadow of Your wings as we go to our rest. Keep us, enrich us with all goodness and mercy, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.