Lord, we are far from what we ought to be. We have renounced sin, yet we find ourselves tempted to sin. We have renounced the world, yet we find the world in us. We have renounced ourselves and yet we are full of ourselves. Lord, we have coveted. We have been unfair in our judgments of others. We have complained about our station in life. The young want to be older and the old want to be younger. The poor want wealth, and the rich are aware of their own poverty. It is not what we have that matters, but who we are. Lord, make us attractive because we show forth the love of Christ. Make us different from the world. Give us a heart to serve one another. Indeed it is more blessed to give than to receive. Help us to be givers and not takers. The more we give the more we receive. The more we help the more we are helped. The more we love, the more we are loved. The more we humble ourselves the higher we shall stand. The more we see Jesus the less we see of ourselves. Lord, help us to see Jesus here this morning.

Our Father, we do remember the promises of old. They are as true today as they were to Noah, Abraham, David, Paul, and John. We know that peace will never reign on earth until Jesus reigns on earth. Help us to expand His Kingdom. Give us the joy of knowing that his Kingdom shall have no end. He will reign forever and forever. From shore to shore, from the Far East to the Far West, from the lowest to the highest, over the meek and the proud, He shall rule with the hand of grace and mercy. As far and as deep as the curse is found, his grace shall also be found.

Our Father, as we approach a new year, help us to be thankful for your grace over the years past. The years will change and we will change, but You are the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Lord, help us not to worry so much. How ashamed we are about the things we worried about and they did not happen. We wasted so much time and energy being anxious. We doubted. We failed to pray. Lord, help us during this New Year to do better. Grow us in grace and give us a faith that can face any hardship, win any battle, and defeat any enemy.

Lord, help us to guard the liberty which we have in Christ. When men seek to bind our conscience by their own laws, give us the wisdom to know the truth. We are not bound by the laws of men, but we are under constraint by the love of Christ. How can the mind of wicked men tell us the difference between right and wrong? How can those who break Your law tell us what laws to keep? How can the lost be a roadmap for us? It is to the law and to the testimonies of God we must go. Thy word is truth. Help us to know thy word. May we never forget that we are free to serve Thee with joy. Keep us abiding in the law of liberty.

Our Father, grant us the serenity to submit to Thy will. Grant that we see that all things work together for good for we who love Thee and who have been called according to Your purpose. Life can be very difficult. Sometimes the sky falls. Sometimes the mountains roar. The earth quakes with a loud noise and we are full of fear and trembling. Help us to remember that life is indeed very short. Soon, we shall be delivered from the curse of remaining sin. Soon we shall be delivered from a world with devils filled. Soon we shall be delivered from the fracture of living and the breaking of our hearts. Someday, it will be over, and our scars will be our badge. Our suffering will be our crown. Our doubts will be turned into certainty. Our hope will become reality. O Lord, hasten the day when sin shall be removed from the face of the earth and the sun will be needed no more because the light of the Sovereign Savior shall lighten the world with the brilliance of His holiness.