Father God,
Calm my spirit that I may worship You.
Calm my thoughts that I may fully think on You.
Calm my fears that I my proclaim Your goodness with my whole life.
Calm my pride that I may glorify You.
Calm my heart that I may see Your faithfulness.
For when fear and anxiety run my life,
I turn from You.
May that never happen.
Give me calm, that through Jesus Christ, I may enjoy You forever.
Amen.
The Pastor -|—
Holy and awesome God,
In love You created the world and all that exists.
In sadness You watched this world plunge into darkness through sin.
In compassion You sent the prophets to warn Your people.
In patience You waited.
In grace you sent Your one and only son to this world.
In mercy Jesus suffered and died for me.
In power Jesus rose from the grave for me.
In love You give me salvation through faith in Jesus.
Holy and awesome God,
I am humbled and blown away
when I reflect on this story.
I am grateful and thankful
when I reflect on what You did for me.
Oh God,
You are indeed holy and awesome.
May You receive all
worship,
honor,
glory,
and praise;
for in love You have given me hope;
in love You have given me peace.
Oh God,
I am so in love with You.
Amen.
The Pastor -|—
Father God,
You give Light to a dark world
that we may see the Truth.
You give Hope to a hopeless world
that we may have Joy.
You give Life to a dead world
that we may worship You forever.
Oh God,
open our eyes to see Your glory
that is found in Christ Jesus our Lord,
Amen
Most awesome God,
Your glory is ever apparent,
from the beauty of the world around me to
the splendor of the heavens above.
But Your glory is most wonderfully shown
through Your Son,
Jesus Christ,
who was crucified and raised for us,
that we may have the hope of the resurrection;
worshiping in Your holy courts
and gazing upon Your glory forever and ever.
May I never take this glory for granted in my life as I strive to live for You.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen.
The Pastor -|—
Holy, holy, holy are You,
oh God,
though the darkness hide thee,
though the eye made blind by sin,
thy glory may not see.
Only thou art holy,
oh God,
there is indeed none beside thee.
Perfect in power are You,
oh God,
and perfect in love and purity.
And because You are holy,
oh God,
and I am not,
may you draw me unto thee that I may know You better.
Shine a light onto Your Law that I may delight in it more.
Lead me in the path of righteousness that I may glorify thee.
Bless my learning of Your Word
and embolden my going
so I may shine a light unto your holiness.
Through Jesus Christ I pray,
Amen.
The Pastor -|—
Holy God,
the beauty of your glory is something to behold,
yet we seek after a glory that is dim in comparison;
a glory that only reflects from the muddy water of our sin.
And we have no idea how bad it is
until we drink from the water
and taste that we are drinking unto our death.
May we come to the well that is pure and life giving.
May drink that we may never thirst again.
May we seek to know Your Law better and better.
May we soak in Your precepts that we may shine forth Your glory.
Oh God,
You are the holy law giver
but you are also the glorious one
who redeems our lives through Jesus Christ.
May we taste and see that You are Good
and may we ever seek Your ways.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray,
Amen.
The Pastor -|—
Father God,
I am ever mindful
that You are holy
and I am not.
I go our own way
and chase after other gods.
I am a sinful creature;
seeking my own glory.
Oh God,
heal my heart and turn me back to You,
in the name of Jesus,
for I am a miserable sinner.
And as I seek after You
may I always find a rich mercy
and an abundant grace
to fill my heart and heal my soul;
overflowing to Your glory.
May the joy of Your forgiveness ooze from my being
and infest the lives of others.
Through Jesus Christ I pray,
Amen.
The Pastor -|—
Holy God,
it is indeed right and salutary
to give You thanks and praise,
oh God,
our giver of life.
Through Jesus Christ You made us righteous in Your eyes
and thus redeemed our lives from the grip of death.
You sustain us through Your Holy Spirit
and lead us into all Truth.
You have revealed Your glory to us
that we may reflect that Light unto the world around us.
And so,
we go with boldness into this world
to shine the light of Your love and grace.
And as we go,
we join with the Church on earth
and the hosts of heaven
in singing Your unending praise…
The Pastor -|—
While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
[Matthew 4:18-20]
Think about it for a second (or two), Jesus called a group of unqualified men to follow him and be the beginning of the Church. No small task, so one would think Jesus would look for only the best. But Jesus doesn’t ask for a resume or a list of references. He doesn’t quiz them to check their knowledge of scripture. He doesn’t inquire about any advanced degrees. Jesus simply approaches these men and says, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men“. Their only qualification was their un-qualification. JESUS made them qualified to be fishers of men. It wasn’t about oratory skills or knowledge or street smarts or financial savvy. It was only about Jesus. He called, they followed and once Jesus died and rose, the Holy Spirit guided them into all Truth.
And so think about it again. If Jesus can use a group of unqualified men to continue a movement of sorts, don’t you think that Jesus can do something amazing through you. Never think that you are unqualified to follow Jesus or be a leader in the church. If you are called, then you are qualified. Just trust in him and follow.
Awesome God,
You called a group of unqualified fishermen
to walk with Jesus
and to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
As Your Spirit led those first disciples
may Your Spirit lead us now in serving You in this world.
May we not bow to the temptation
that we are not good enough
but rather trust in You
that we may give glory to Your holy name.
May we leap out in faith when Jesus calls,
and may we go with the strength and courage of the Holy Spirit.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior we pray,
Amen.
The Pastor -|—
There’s a Bible camp song that I remember singing that goes something like this:
Lord You are, more precious than silver.
Lord You are, more costly than gold.
Lord you are, are more beautiful than diamonds.
And nothing I desire compares to You.
I never really understood these words then; either as a young camper or as a young, immature camp counselor. We sang the words and for me they flew over my head. But now I read these words and I pray that they are true in my life now. I know there are times that I desire other things over God. There are times I desire other activities other than praying or reading scripture. There are possessions that I have that I value more than God. I reflect on this and I am ashamed. I guess it is therapeutic to write (and read) these words and think about such desires. It forces me reevaluate things and thus realign my desires, because, really, there is nothing more costly, precious or beautiful than God. If you truly think about it you have to agree with me. If you can’t, then you don’t know God through Jesus Christ. And so…
One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple.
[Psalm 27:4]
Oh God, may I know You better that my desire be for You and for You alone. May I seek Your face. May I desire Your presence. Oh God, You are more precious, costly and beautiful than anything. Amen.
The Pastor -|—
The Heart of a Pastor 