Father, in Jesus' name, thank You for being so faithful and so good. You are absolutely amazing and awesome. There is no one like You. You are the holy One, the One and only true and living God. You have no competitors, no equals, and no rivals. You are infinitely superior to everyone and everything. You are the self-existing One who has brought everything that exists into existence. You created everything out of nothing. If You had not created anything then there would be nothing. You brought everything that exists into being and hold it all together by Your Word. It is through the Word that became flesh, Jesus Christ, that all things in heaven and earth are reconciled to Yourself by the blood of His cross.
Thank You for creating human beings in Your image and likeness as the pinnacle of Your creation. Thank You for making us for intimacy with You and to rule under Your sovereign rule. You are the King of the heavens and the earth. You made us knowing that we would disobey You, desire the creation more than You the Creator, and be deserving of Your wrath. Thank You for planning for redemption even before creating anything. For Your Word declares that Jesus was a lamb slain from before the foundation of the world. Thank You for choosing a people to be Yours in Christ from before the foundation of the world.
Thank You for sending Your eternal Son, Jesus, into the world. He who shared glory with You from before the foundation of the world. He who is the image of the invisible God whom the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain. He came in the image of sinful humanity and yet He was without any sin. The fullness of deity dwelt bodily in Him. He came into the world not to condemn the world for our sin but to save us from it. This is absolutely mind blowing. For You could have sent Him into the world to pour out Your wrath on us for our disobedience, rebellion, and sin. Instead, He came into the world to bear the sins of the entire world and have the full brunt of Your wrath poured out on Him. He is the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world but especially for those of us who believe in Him.
God, I ask that You'd give us an encounter with Your holiness so that we understand how deserving that we are of Your wrath because of our sin. And as You do so help us to be reminded that in Your wrath that You remember mercy. May we experience the riches of Your mercy and Your amazing grace like never before. Thank You that where sin abounds Your grace abounds more. Like the Prophet Isaiah may You bring us to the place where our response to Your holiness is 'Woe is me..' and the response to Your grace is 'Here am I, Send me!' (Read Isaiah 6:1-8)
May our response to a greater revelation of Jesus and what He has done for us cause us from this day forward to chase after You and do Your will with reckless abandon. Until the day that we see You face to face and hear You say to us. 'Well done, good and faithful servant!' Use us to carry Jesus, His presence and Word, so that others may encounter Him and hear His Words through us. Show us any sin that hinders us from being pure and holy vessels that live in intimate fellowship with You as You use us to fulfill Your purpose on earth. Anoint and use each member of the body of Christ to play our parts in strengthening the Church and winning the lost to Christ.
Cause everything in our lives to revolve around Jesus as He takes His proper place seated on the throne of our hearts. May our lives glorify His great name. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit so that no flesh shall glory in Your presence. Give us hearts for You above all else as You fill our hearts with Your love for all people. Use us to point those around us to Jesus the author and source of life who came into the world that we might have life and have it more abundantly. In Jesus' name, amen!
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