Tag: grace

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Bless Marriages With Your Gift of Sex

God of Marriage,
Sex is your gift that you established as a blessing to be enjoyed between a husband and wife. You call both single and married people to battle against sexual temptation and to abstain from engaging in sex outside of marriage. But your gift of sex can also be abused within marriage whenever it is neglected or avoided by one spouse without mutual consent. When your gift of sex is weaponized or leveraged by one spouse against the other, it can cause tremendous damage. When spouses forget or refuse to acknowledge that in marriage, their bodies are not their own, but belong to each other, sex mutates from a loving act of service to a self-centered, self-serving, mess.

For those marriage relationships that have legitimate challenges that hinder or prevent sexual intimacy, I pray for you to patiently guide those spouses as they work through those issues. Help all people – married and single – to honor marriage and sex by keeping the marriage bed pure. Richly bless married couples with healthy and happy sex lives. Through them, provide a sanctified and refreshingly positive view of sex in a world that has spoiled it so much.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Fight Sexual Temptation

God of Grace,
When we diminish your designed purposes for sex, it shouldn’t surprise us that our twisted perspective ends up turning your gift into a temptation. I am not only susceptible to the snare of sex, but am also guilty of sinning against myself and others in my misuse and abuse of it. I am left with nowhere to turn but to your cross for forgiveness. Assure me that there alone do I find gracious cleansing for all sin – including every sexual sin I’ve ever committed. 

Then, having been renewed and restored, equip me with the spirit necessary to fight the battle against sexual temptation. Guard my heart from being drawn into any situation that would allow a spark of temptation to flare up into a raging fire. Help me have the self-awareness to recognize when and where this particular temptation is tailored to my own unique weaknesses, and the discernment and discipline to avoid those scenarios. If I consistently fail to put up a fight on my own against this temptation, give me the courage to seek help from others who genuinely want to support me in these struggles. Do not let me allow my failures to suffocate me in this area. My sins do not define me or change my identify in you, therefore build me up with more of your grace and create in me the desire to live a pure and holy life for you.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Properly View Your Gift of Sex

God of Love,
Sex is all around me, everywhere, all the time, and with it, the temptation to treat it like any other pleasure that is up for grabs whenever it is desired. But you didn’t create it to be treated like some recreational activity available for anyone to engage in at any time, according to their own personal preferences or standards. Rather, you intended for it to be a uniquely special experience exclusively between a husband and wife, safeguarded within the bond of marriage. Although I live in a society that doesn’t see it that way, help me to honor it in accordance with your plans for it. 

Although sex is itself physical, keep clear for me its spiritual connection so that I am able to tap into your Spirit’s strength to battle my thoughts and urges. And, while the abuse of your gift of sex will always cause damage and harm to hearts and lives, let grace and your gospel be for me the driving force behind my desire to honor it. I don’t live under the fear and slavery of the law, but in freedom that longs to walk in your ways. Guide me to love you by treasuring your precious gift of sex in the way that you intend. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Avoid Favoritism

Dearest Jesus,
You warn us against favoritism, directing us to treat others equally. Multiples case studies in your Word underscore how much damage and dysfunction results in families and relationships when favoritism is involved. Nevertheless, it comes naturally for us to pay extra attention to those we favor. We give special treatment to those who are in a position to potentially return the favor in some way or another.

The truth is, when I behave in this way, I am not serving my neighbor, but myself. I am using others to selfishly gain personal gifts or advantages. Forgive me for my favoritism and make me aware whenever the temptation is there for me to fall into it again. You are the perfect example, as you had nothing to gain from putting us first. No reward or favor could ever be returned to you from fallen man, yet you gave yourself up for us anyway. You didn’t give to get anything in return, but rather so that in you, we could have everything we need. That’s not favoritism, but grace. May I reflect it in the way I treat others. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Grace to Live Humbly

Loving Lord,
Ever since your image was lost in the Fall, we all come into this world with one thing on our mind: ourselves. Even believers, who have had your image restored through faith in Jesus, still battle selfishness daily. Only through your grace can we ever hope to win that battle.

Grace shows me what true humility looks like. Grace shows me a Savior who put sinners before himself. Grace shows me I have all the approval and affection I need from you, which could never be obtained through my own accolades or achievements. Grace equips and frees me to love others and concern myself with my neighbor’s needs and wants before my own. Grace forgives my many failed attempts at humility, and puts me back on the path toward it whenever necessary. Therefore, as I pursue humility, let me look no further than your grace. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

The Door Requires More than Rapport

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(Luke 13:22-30)

You got a guy. Everyone’s got a guy. But for this job, you got a guy. He’s swooped in and saved the day in the past, so when the situation arrives and his services are needed once again, you reach out to him. You assure others that he’ll come through.

But then something came up. There was a mix-up of some sort. He could do it, then he couldn’t. He had the wrong day. He couldn’t make it. Something else came up and he flaked again. In the end, he didn’t come through, and you felt like you let everyone down because of it. You feel awful.

What was the problem? Why didn’t your guy come through? Why did he leave you hanging? In some scenarios there may be legitimate reasons. He had other work that was a priority. An emergency came up in his own personal life that didn’t allow him to help out at this time.

Or – and this is maybe the one that stings the most: you assumed more of the relationship than you should have. You thought you had a certain rapport or understanding, only to find out that you had the wrong idea. The relationship wasn’t what you thought it was, and you ended up getting burned by it, along with others in the process. 

That might be a good way of explaining the warning Jesus is giving us in his teaching in Luke 13. Most people, regardless of religious background or belief, assume they have a certain rapport with God, or the divine, a higher being – whatever label they want to attach to it. Even within Christianity this can be the case – people assume they have a certain rapport with Jesus. Jesus’ warning to us this morning, though, is that we had better be certain that the relationship with assume we have with Jesus is not one that’s going to leave us high and dry, discovering that we don’t actually have what we thought we had with him. 

The picture Jesus uses to describe that is a door. A narrow door. And if you are shocked by Jesus saying that door is not maybe as large as you expected it would be or you think it should be, then you’ll be even more shocked by the number of people who assume they’re on their way through that door, only to eventually find they are not able to enter it. Jesus warned, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to” (v.24). The two points that Jesus emphasizes ought to grab our attention: 1) make every effort, and 2) many… will try to enter and not be able to.

“Make every effort.” These words of Jesus are especially dangerous in this era of soundbites and snippets, clickbait captions, and replayed reels. No, it’s not that there is anything wrong with the words themselves; the problem is on our end. With as brief of attention spans as we’ve ever had, and in our rush to scroll to the next dopamine fix, we don’t have time for context. We don’t have time to actually read the article. We don’t have time to think critically for ourselves. So like everything else we consume media-wise, we take bite-size chunks out of Scripture and run with them. In this case, that can be deadly.

Because if we’re lazy and ignore the rest of Scripture, it sounds like Jesus is telling us that salvation is a matter of how hard you work. “Make every effort” is the soundbite that has prompted who-knows-how-many souls to conclude that getting into heaven is a matter of being good or trying harder or measuring up. As long as we do our best, God does the rest and we’ve got nothing to worry about. But if effort was really the issue, then Jesus really piles on the discouragement with his words that follow!

“Many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.” So much for effort! So what, I just need to try harder than all the others who thought they were trying hard, only to find out they were shut out? I need to be more dedicated, more disciplined than they were in earning my salvation?

Hardly! If entering through the narrow door was a matter of your effort or mine, the door would be slammed shut to everyone. No amount of any effort on the part of anyone will ever measure up. It isn’t your effort. The Bible makes this very clear. It says, “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin” (Romans 3:20). Effort is ruled out, because keeping the law doesn’t cut it – all God’s law does is expose how futile our efforts are!

So what “effort” is required, then? What does Jesus mean here? The effort required is to let go of yours and lean on his. And yes, that is hard work that requires great effort! That’s why Jesus describes the door as being narrow. And it is. We can’t widen it, and it doesn’t get bigger like that door off in the distance. From far away it looks tiny, but because we understand perspective, we naturally assume that just like any door, the closer we get to it, the bigger it appears to get.

Only Jesus says this door is not like that. It doesn’t get bigger. It stays small. It remains narrow. We can’t change that. So we’d better make sure we are addressing what can change to make sure we get in.

That’s why our church and school exist. Our goal is to get as many through that narrow door as possible. While the rest of the world is worried about stuff that doesn’t matter, we’re on a rescue mission, we’re sounding the alarm, we’re announcing exactly what is necessary and required to get through that narrow door. 

The answer? The one who’s talking in these verses from Luke: Jesus. But, it’s more than know just knowing Jesus. If a person thinks that knowledge of or familiarity with Jesus is sufficient, he has a warning. “Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’  (v. 25-27).

Yes, Jesus is the answer, but make sure that your relationship with him is more than just the good rapport that you think you have with him. Jesus isn’t interested in risking your salvation by assuming you’ve got the right take on religion or your relationship with him, so he tells us how it is. He tells us plainly what is required. Do not bother pitching to him why you think you’re good to go through that narrow door, at the risk of hearing those same words, “I don’t know you.” 

That assumed rapport that people have with Jesus can show up in so many ways. People think they intuitively know how Jesus would respond or speak in any given situation. “Jesus would this” or “Jesus wouldn’t that…” This is especially shocking when their opinions directly contradict his clear words in Scripture.

Take his warning today, for example. To anyone who feels that the concept of hell doesn’t line up with a loving God, listen to Jesus. Jesus is the one speaking the harsh words of warning today – don’t miss that! This is his warning! So those who think that “hell” isn’t in Jesus’ vocabulary, pay attention to exactly what he’s describing here. The Jesus people would like to think is giving all people a pass to get into heaven because he just has such a big heart is the the same Jesus right here warning that NOT EVERYONE GETS IN – IN FACT, MANY WON’T! 

But Jesus doesn’t just wanr us that many won’t make it into heaven; he also teaches us how we can.

On another occasion, Jesus described exactly what is necessary to get through the narrow door. With bellies full of bread, compliments of Jesus’ miraculous feeding of the 5,000, some crowds had tracked Jesus down afterward. Wanting to know more about what he was teaching him, an individual asked Jesus what work was required for a person to be saved. “Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent’” (John 6:29). He later clarified, “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life” (v.40). Believe. And any “effort” required to believe is also God’s work, for the Holy Spirit is responsible for granting the gift of faith, too. See, the effort is really all God’s effort from start to finish.

But it’s not natural for us to believe that. What’s natural is to believe that God needs something from me. What’s natural – albeit in a fallen world – is for man to be well aware of his own shortcomings and be absolutely convinced that there must be some contribution on his part to work with God. That’s natural, and so yes, it takes real effort not to fall for that lie. It takes real effort to believe that through Jesus Christ, God alone has carried out all the effort needed to get us through the narrow door.

Speaking of which, have we stopped yet to marvel at the fact that there even is a door?!? When Adam & Eve first sinned (and each of us has compounded that sin every single day of our lives in our thoughts, words, and actions), they were banned from Eden. As a result of our own sin, we, too, should be banned, not from Eden, but from heaven itself. We have no business being there. Heaven is for holiness, and we have disqualified ourselves by our unholiness. 

But grace gave us a door. God’s love established that sinners would not be shut out of heaven for eternity. There is a way, and his name is Jesus. Through faith in him alone, that narrow door is large enough for every soul to be welcomed into heaven. 

And how wonderful it will be to rejoice with all of those who will be there with us – including those we may not have expected. Jesus reminded us, “People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last” (Luke 13:29-30).

When faith in Jesus is a factor, anyone can have it. So when it isn’t a matter of our righteous living or our good lives, but faith in Jesus, yes, some good folks that we thought for sure would make it, will be left out. And others we thought to be miles away from heaven, will be right at the front of the line.

Only grace. Grace for you. Grace for me. Grace for everyone, who not only know Jesus, but know and believe that through faith in Jesus alone we are granted access through the narrow door into heaven. 

You got a guy, actually, you’ve much more than just a guy. You have a Savior. And heaven is yours through him.

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Grace to Abound

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. As so many all over the world gather together in your house, they bring so many different experiences and emotions to worship. Nevertheless, we all have one need in common that unites us: grace. What we cannot find anywhere else apart from your Word and Sacrament, pour out in abundance to all. Let it not be subtle or hidden, but rather preached clearly and sung loudly for all to hear.

Since we could have no relationship with you apart from grace, nor would we have the guarantee of a place in heaven without it, let it abound. May it wash over hearts heavy with guilt and shame. Use your grace to stir up passion and zeal among believers to carry out your mission and ministry with relentless fervor. Through us all, flood the earth with your grace.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Eagerly Serve My Church

Selfless Savior,
While most people think of Sunday morning worship when they think of church, the local congregation is really about so much more. Yes, worship is the highlight of the believer’s week, serving us Word and sacrament, and providing a foretaste of what awaits us in the future, but you build up the body of Christ is in so many other ways, too. Churches carry out your work through schools, Bible studies, and various other ministries and acts of service both internally and externally.

While we are grateful for church workers who are called to guide and equip us for this work, help each of us to see the important roles we have in helping carry this work out. Service isn’t about official roles or titles, but about a willing spirit – a spirit willing to imitate Jesus and wash my neighbor’s feet. Move men everywhere to demonstrate servant leadership in your church, looking to serve first rather than be served. When opportunities or needs arise, grant us the faith-focused desire to get our hands dirty and eagerly jump in. Lead us to support our church workers and each other by making their work a joy and not a burden. Compel us to serve our congregations because through our service, you’re not just getting work done through us, but also in us. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

Multiplying Division

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(Luke 12:49-53)

Before applying the cotton ball soaked with rubbing alcohol to the freshly scraped knee, a mom warns her child, “this is going to sting a bit.” In trying to determine the extent of the injury, whether it’s a sprain, a break, or something else, the doctor grabs hold and twists this way then pushing that way, all the while asking his patient to “tell me if this hurts.” Days or weeks of underlying tension between a husband and wife culminate with the words, “we need to talk.” Real pain is being experienced in these examples, whether it’s physical, emotional, or even spiritual.

Yet, while none of those examples are pleasant experiences – for the person on either end – they have in common that the end result is intended to make things better. The hurt happens so that healing can follow. One of the biggest lies we tend to believe is that our problems – and the hurt that goes with them – will eventually just go away if we avoid them. Rather than bring up an uncomfortable topic that will likely involve some tension or conflict, we just avoid it and convince ourselves that doing nothing is the better way. What we’re saying is that we prefer to avoid the hurt of a challenging encounter or conversation by riding it out until things improve.

But tell me, if you can, how many times things have ever actually improved, how many times healing has actually taken place, with that approach. Almost never. This “Wounds that Heal” series may be a tough one for many, but it’s essential that we understand that even when Jesus’ words hurt, that hurt is the necessary precursor to healing. So we pray that this series will be for us like making your way into the ocean on a beach day. At first the water feels cold and uncomfortable, but once you’re in, it feels invigorating and refreshing. May Jesus’ words in this series hit us like that.

The wisdom of Proverbs also provides helpful insights to our understanding of this series. Proverbs 27:6 says, “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” The words of a friend may hurt or sting, but when you consider the source, you know they are being candid with you for your own benefit. An enemy, on the other hand, will schmooze and sweet-talk all day long, not because he’s interested in building you up, but because he wants to soften you to eventually serve himself. If wounds from a friend can be trusted, let’s go into this series remembering that we have no greater friend than Jesus, and trust completely that even when he speaks words that hurt or are hard to hear, his goal is always my healing and growth. 

We start off this series with words from Jesus that will hit home for some of us a little more than others. “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division” (v.51). How do we handle these hard words? When we address what looks like a contradictory statement compared to the way the rest of Scripture speaks, we’ll better understand what Jesus is saying. Then, as we do, we’ll start to see how his hard words actually help and heal us. 

Let’s address some of the passages that come to mind when we hear Jesus and peace in the same sentence. Right away, many of our minds likely go to one of the most comforting lists of titles given to Jesus that we associate with Christmas. Isaiah 9:6: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” It seems like even more of an odd thing for the one called the “Prince of Peace,” to say he didn’t come to bring peace, doesn’t it?

Then there are also the words out of Jesus’ own mouth that he spoke: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). “In me you may have peace” sounds about as 180º from Jesus bluntly saying that he didn’t come to bring peace, but division! What gives?

The reason is really quite simple: we’re dealing with different understandings of peace. Take an example from the sporting world. Why will fans and analysts always debate about who is the greatest in any given sport? Why will that always be an ongoing debate that can never be settled? It’s because we aren’t working with the same definition of “great.” We can’t agree on a GOAT if we can’t agree on what greatness is. Does greatest mean the most championship rings, because there are plenty of players who were not superstars, but who had the privilege of being shuffled around and playing on championship teams. Does greatest mean the best statistics? If so, which statistics matter the most, and what if someone has great statistics but no rings? Does greatest mean record-holder in any given statistical category? What if a player dominates in only one statistical category, but is mediocre at best in others? And what about sports where different players play entirely different positions – a great lineman on the football field cannot be compared to a great quarterback by using the same metrics for greatness. 

Just as rabid sports fans will become rather unruly when discussing who is the greatest, should it surprise us that Jesus guarantees that division will come about as a result of the peace he came to bring? How does one define peace?

Ask yourself what most people on the planet have in mind when they think about peace. What does “peace” mean to most people? Tolerance? It means unity. It means we don’t let our differences divide us. It means we all get along. It means the absence of conflict. It means you don’t force me to share your views or opinions. You might have a few more thoughts to add to the world’s view of peace, but these about capture it, don’t they?

Now, what is God talking about when he speaks of “peace” in the Bible? We don’t have to wonder or guess, because he tells us. “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand” (Romans 4:25-5:2). The phrase we need to hear to get to the bottom of all of this is “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” That’s the peace Jesus came to bring: peace between God and men.

So what we’re talking about is not the same thing at all, and realizing that gives us a better understanding about the apparent contradiction in Scripture. It all depends on which peace we’re talking about: the world’s varying definitions, or Jesus’ definition? Jesus came to bring the kind of peace we need, but not the kind of peace the world thinks it needs or wants. And, sadly, until anyone sees the need for Jesus’ peace, they’ll look in vain for it everywhere else. 

Their search for peace ends up looking like a guest trying to figure out the lighting in an unfamiliar room. If you live in or have stayed in a place with a room that has outlets controlled by a light switch, that can serve to help us understand Jesus’ words this morning. If you don’t know the outlets are controlled by a light switch, think of all the steps you’ll first take to address a lamp that doesn’t turn on. First, you might check the obvious to make sure there’s a bulb in the lamp, maybe even changing it if there is. If that doesn’t do the trick, then you check to make sure it’s plugged in. If it’s plugged in and still doesn’t light up, you maybe start to wonder if the lamp is just broken and needs to be replaced. So you spend all this time on the lamp, when all you really need to do is flip the light switch when you enter the room and it gives power to the outlets, turning on the lamp.

By nature, without Jesus, we all do the same things to address division – or a lack of peace – in our lives. We try to fix all of the symptoms without realizing the real problem: a lack of peace between God and me. So I work on this symptom and that symptom. Nothing improves – and often it gets much worse! – so I try a different approach with no luck. And on and on. 

It isn’t until the light switch is flipped on – which just so happens to apply perfectly to Jesus, the Light of the World – that the peace that is lacking in my life now starts to flow from the peace I have with God into all other areas of my life. We try to manufacture a horizontal peace when the solution is the vertical peace we receive from God in Christ Jesus. Only from that peace does the world ever receive what it’s actually looking for.  

That’s the irony, isn’t it? The world would have much more of the peace it is looking for, if only it pursued more of the peace Jesus did come to bring. But until it does, there will be division. Some will long for Jesus’ peace; others will dismiss it in frustration, demanding that an all-powerful God cater to their whims and provide their version of peace. And that is the reason for the division.

But the source of that division is also the solution to it. And we have it. Yes, these wounds that heal us mean that we need to expect they’ll do the same for others, because it is an undeniable reality of the ministry of the church. We are called to bring peace, yet God prepares us for the hard work of ministry by telling us that our efforts will result in even more division. So we aren’t surprised when we see the peace we pass along result multiply division.

But there is no other way. We cannot change doctrines or teachings for the sake of getting along better with other churches who do. We cannot ignore or avoid parts of the Bible which cause people offense. There is no other way. And those who think there is are not only fooling themselves, but also compromising the real peace Jesus came to bring, the real peace every man, woman, and child, needs: peace between God and man.

Yes, it will mean that our mission will multiply division. The ministry of the church will increase division in the world. But more importantly, it will also increase the number of souls that are saved. It might hurt to share it, but the best kind of healing will follow: the kind that provides the permanent peace our hearts crave, and can find nowhere else but in Jesus. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Embrace My Place in Your Kingdom

Mighty God,
By your grace, you called me to faith and it pleased you to give me the kingdom. What more could I possibly need when I consider all that is included in your kingdom? Let me find my treasure, my purpose, and my life in your kingdom and nowhere else, since nothing else could ever measure up or compare. Furthermore, I marvel that you didn’t give it to me hesitantly or reluctantly, but that you were pleased to do so. 

And, you have given me the keys to your kingdom – the power to absolve and forgive sins. What a great privilege and responsibility this is! Let me take it to heart, take it seriously, and not take it for granted. Keep me forever in your kingdom and use me to extend and expand it with your powerful Word, so that through it your Spirit can bring many more souls into the present and eternal joys of your kingdom. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.