Single Minded Devotion

1 Corinthians 10:14-22 

Father, please help us to flee from our idols.

Remind us that we participate in the death and life of your son.

Remind us that we are one body.

Keep us from a participation with demons.

Give us an appreciation of the greatness of being Christian.

And make our hearts solely devoted to you.

Amen

1 Corinthians 9:1-14

Father, forgive us

    For the times that we have squandered your blessings on our own desires:

    For the times when we have supported causes through emotion and not careful             consideration:

    For the times when our motives in giving have been selfish rather than selfless:

    For the times when we have begrudged a living to those in ministry:

    Forgive us for muzzling the ox; and receiving your word without                                     generous compensation.

Grow our love, for your servants;

for Jesus sake.

Amen

1 Corinthians 8:4-13

Almighty God, 

you are the only true God, the maker of all things; the one for whom we live.

Help us to guard our freedom;

    to not cause others to stumble;

    to not destroy those you love;

    to not to sin against them;

    to not wound their consciences.

May we restrain our freedom and live for love.

Amen

Prayer for a Loving Heart

Father, cleanse our souls from the clutter that dampens our love for you.

We confess that our hearts are filled with false loves that have become a cheap and unsatisfying substitute for loving you.

Show us the loves of our hearts.

And then show us yourself so that we may

     adore you,

     worship you,

     And cherish you.

Father, we are prone to love ourselves.

But we are not made for that love.

We are not made to live inwards towards ourselves.

We are made to live outwards towards others and upwards towards you.

Create within us that love for you.

Cause us to remember that you have loved us and lead us to love you with our whole hearts.

And then create in us a love for others.

Amen.

Easter Blessing

May God the Father, who raised Christ from the dead, open to us the gates of everlasting life.

May God the Son, who in bursting from the grave won a glorious victory, give us joy as we share the Easter faith.

May God the Holy Spirit, who filled the disciples with the life of the risen Lord, empower us for witness and fill us with the peace of God.

May the rule of God the Trinity remind us not to be afraid but instead to go and live in peace rejoicing that Jesus Christ is risen.

Amen

James 5:1-6; 2 Corinthians 8:9

My Father,

I am blessed and rich.

Thank you.

Forgive me 

where I have stolen from the poor;

where I have lacked compassion and hoarded wealth;

where I have lived in self-indulgent pleasure;

where I have fattened my body;

where gold and silver have corroded my heart;

where riches have rotted my values.

Forgive me 

because of the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ, 

who though he was rich yet for my sake became poor 

that by his poverty I might become rich.

Amen

James 4:6

Father, 

Give me a submissive will.

Strengthen me to resist the devil.

Draw me near to your heart.

Cleanse my hands.

Purify my heart.

Keep me from double-mindedness.

Turn my laughter to repentance.

Turn my frivolity to mourning

And humble me before you.

Amen