We Love God!

God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)

Sin comes to us, taps us on the shoulder or tugs at our shirttail and whispers in our ear: “You deserve better than what God has provided. He’s holding out on you. You deserve to feel good about yourself. I’ll affirm you in a way no one else can. Why live in misery any longer? Come to me. I’ll give you a sense of power you’ve never known before. I’ll expand your influence. I’ll fill your heart with a sense of accomplishment. I’ll nourish your soul. You’ve never had a physical rush like the one I’ve got in store for you. Obeying God is boring. It’s a pain. He’s always telling you to do stuff that’s difficult and burdensome and inconvenient or ordering you to forsake the few things that really bring you happiness. Come on. You’ve only got one life. Obedience is ugly. My way is fun. My way feels good.”
Sam Storms

I know of nothing which so stimulates my faith in my Heavenly Father as to look back and reflect on His faithfulness to me in every crisis and every chilling circumstance of life. Over and over He has proved His care and concern for my welfare. gain and again I have been conscious of the Good Shepherd’s guidance through dark days and deep valleys.
Phillip Keller

SATURDAY MORNING

O God, by whom the whole world is gov-
erned and preserved, I give Thee humble
thanks for Thy fatherly care over me, in pre-
serving me from the dangers of the night
which is past, and in bringing me safely to
the beginning of another day.

I gratefully acknowledge my dependence
on Thee for the necessities, conveniences,
and comforts of my daily life; for all the
means of my well-being in this world; and
for the hope of everlasting happiness in Thy
heavenly kingdom.

I give Thee thanks for the gift of Thy
Son, my Saviour; for the gift of Thy holy
Spirit, my Sanctifier and Comforter; for the
institution of Thy Church, the mother of us
all; for the light of Thy glorious gospel,
and the helps of Thy grace; and for the
precious promises of pardon, through Thy
Son Christ Jesus, in whose blood we have
the atonement.

Give me always, I beseech Thee, such a
tender sense of Thy mercies as may make
me truly thankful for them. O, save me
from hardness of heart, and from blindness
of mind; that I may never neglect or abuse
Thy grace, but may honor and enjoy it in
my heart and life, from day to day.

Grant me grace honestly to improve all
the talents which Thou hast committed to
my trust; and may no worldly business, and
no love of pleasure, draw my mind or heart
from the solemn concerns of the life to come.

May Thy blessing, O Lord, be upon my
person, upon my labors, upon my substance,
and upon all that belongs to me. In pros-
perity may I not forget Thee, and in ad-
versity may I still trust in Thy wisdom,
mercy, and love.

Defend me, O Lord, and all that are near
and dear to me, against all the assaults of our
enemies. Grant that this day we may fall into
no sin, neither run into any danger. May all
our doings be ordered by Thee, and meet with
Thy favor and blessing; that so we may walk,
O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance.

Into Thy hands, gracious Father, I com-
mend my soul and body for this day, and
for all coming life. Glorify Thyself in all
that I do and suffer; and grant me, I be-
seech Thee, in this world, knowledge of Thy
truth, and in the world to come, life ever-
lasting; through the mercy and mediation
of Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with
Thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, be all
honor and glory, world without end. Amen.