Praying With Paul

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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Love above Knowledge

Passage

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Prayer

Dear Father, the one real and only God,Give me more love and humility than knowledge, for \"Knowledge puffs up but love builds up.\"People know lots of things, but they let it go to their heads. Help me, Father, never to imagine that I know everything, because I know that I do not yet know as I ought to know. What I want is to love you as I should, for if I love you, then I am loved and known by you. All the things that men and women pursue, O God, seem to have no real existence when compared to you. There is no God but you, the one God.The world is full of \"gods.\" But for us Christians there is just one God, you, from whom all things come and for whom they exist, and there is just one Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.In the name of Jesus and by his authority I ask these things according to his will. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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Earthly Relationships

Passage

1 Corinthians 7:36-40

Prayer

Dear Father, head of our one enduring spiritual family,We live in our bodies and in families and we have strong needs for these very human things.Thank you for consenting to our involvement with these, as long as we possess them without grasping or coveting, and as long as we love you more than these.Whatever freedoms we have, let us exercise them by abiding in the Lord. Grant us the grace to follow Paul's teaching, since he spoke as one having the Spirit of the Lord.In the name of Jesus I lift this prayer to you. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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Contentment

Passage

1 Corinthians 7:25-35

Prayer

Dear Father, head of our one enduring spiritual family,Thank you that you have not left us uninformed in matters of family relations. Thank you for the apostle Paul's instructions, which tell us to be holy in body and spirit and to give ourselves up to please you. Help me, Father, to do that.May we be content in the situations in which you have placed us. May those of us with spouses live, in a sense, as if we had none. May those of us who mourn over lost loved ones, in a sense, not mourn at all. May those of us who rejoice, in a sense, not be so joyful. May those of us who buy and sell, in a sense, act as if we have no goods. May those of us who deal with the world, in a sense, act as if we have no dealings with the world at all.What does it all mean? This world and the form of it are passing away, so free me from all anxiety! There is no answer apart from knowing that you are in control and will bring to pass your good pleasure.Grant us rest in you! In the name of Jesus I lift up this prayer to you. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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Slave to All

Passage

1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Prayer

Dear Father, lover of all peoples,Though I am free from all men, let me become a slave to all, that I may win many, many more people to the cause of the Lord.To Jews help me become as a Jew, to non-Jews as a non-Jew, to the poor as one who is poor, to the weak as one who is weak, that I might by all means save some of them.Help me to gladly do whatever is needful for the sake of the Good News, so that I may share in its blessings.In the name of Jesus. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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Foregoing Rights

Passage

1 Corinthians 9:1-18

Prayer

Dear Father, who sees my heart,Help me to follow the excellent example of the Apostle Paul. Though he had a right to earn his livelihood from his preaching, he didn't do so. He chose not to make full use of his rights in the gospel and instead preached the message free of charge.Grant that my service to you will not be motivated by monetary gain or personal ambition. Whatever I do, let it be done out of love for you, your Son, your Word and your holy people.Help me never to put any obstacle in the way of the proclamation of the Good News about Jesus Christ to all who need to hear.In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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False Gods

Passage

1 Corinthians 8:7-13

Prayer

Dear Father, the one real and only God,Many do not understand that all reality is rooted in you, so they chase the \"gods\" of this world, the \"idols\" which they worship - money, fame, glamor, power, security - and in some cases real idols and the real demons who are behind those idols.Many brothers and sisters in Christ have recently been freed from bondage to a culture that worships these false gods, and due to their weak consciences they can easily be drawn back. Keep me from pursuing the things they were in the habit of pursuing, lest they think I am serving their old \"gods\" and that it is okay for them to violate their consciences and return to former practices. Don't let my \"knowledge\" destroy someone who is weak. May I be willing to forego any right or privilege rather than cause a brother or sister to fall.In the name of Jesus and by his authority I ask these things according to his will. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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Perseverance

Passage

1 Corinthians 10:6-15

Prayer

Dear Father, righteous judge of all mankind,Help me to live as one upon whom the end of the ages has come. Help me take what happened to the Israelites as a warning to myself. Don't let me get puffed up, thinking that I cannot fall. But at the same time let me keep in mind that no temptation has overtaken me that is not common to man. Help me remember that you are faithful and will not allow me to be tempted beyond my strength, but with every temptation will also provide the way for me to escape, that I may be able to endure it!The way of escape may be death, as it was for Jesus. If so, may I be willing to die if that is what it takes to enter your eternal kingdom.It is better that I should enter it with eyes or hands gone than to enter into hell with my whole body intact. Help me to obey you from a heart of love and gratefulness for what you have done for me.In the name of Jesus grant me such love for you that I will persevere in obedience until the very end. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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Heeding Warnings

Passage

1 Corinthians 10:1-5

Prayer

Dear Father, righteous judge of all mankind,Help me take to heart the examples of disobedience and punishment set by your ancient people as they wandered through the wilderness.Although they were baptized into Moses in the cloud and the sea, and drank of the spiritual food and spiritual water, flowing backward through time from that spiritual Rock, which was Christ himself. In spite of all this, they got lost in the wilderness because they displeased you.O Father, let me take to heart these warnings, and not desire anything evil, as they did, nor to worship idols, as they did, or to engage in immorality, as they did. May I never put you to the test or grumble about your providence, as they did.In the name of Jesus grant me patience to persevere until the end. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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Exercising Self-control

Passage

1 Corinthians 9:24

Prayer

Dear Father,Help me to compete like a runner aspiring for an Olympic gold medal. Help me to exercise discipline and self-control in all things that I may receive the imperishable victory wreath.Help me not to run aimlessly or to box as one sparring against the air. Give me the grit to pommel my body, to bring it under subjection, lest after having shared the Good News with others I myself should be disqualified.In the name of Jesus. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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Remembering Christ's Death

Passage

1 Corinthians 11:24-26

Prayer

Dear Father, giver of bread and wine,Cause us to remember that in the same way he blessed the bread, after supper he took the cup, saying, \"This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.\"Help us, giver of the heavenly bread and the heavenly wine, to eat and drink, as often as we do it, in proclamation of the Lord's death until he comes.In the name of Jesus, who is the daily bread and wine of our lives, I ask. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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Observing the Lord's Supper

Passage

1 Corinthians 11:17-23

Prayer

Dear Father, giver of bread and wine,When we come together as your family to partake of bread and wine, let it truly be \"the Lord's supper\" which we eat. Let there be no divisions or preferences among us, no putting ourselves first, or putting our group first. Let there be no divisions between rich and poor, young and old, dark-skinned or light, white collar or blue collar. Let no one do anything that would humiliate another. For \"the Lord's supper\" is a feast of love and unity.Cause us to remember what was delivered to us by your apostles, how the Lord Jesus on the night that he was betrayed took bread, and having given thanks, broke it, and said, \"This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.\"In the name of Jesus, who is the daily bread and wine of our lives, I ask. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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Balance

Passage

1 Corinthians 11:2-16

Prayer

Dear Father, God of the present and the future, but also of the past,Make me willing to consider and accept new things. But also help me to respect and maintain the traditions from the past. May I acknowledge that Christ is my head and submit myself to him, even as he acknowledges you as his head.May Christian wives acknowledge the headship of their own husbands, and may their husbands honor Christ as their head. Help husbands and wives live inter-dependently, realizing that they need each other for mutual support and procreation. May all the women in your holy church conduct themselves in a way that shows their devotion to your Word and to their own husbands, and may all husbands give their wives due honor and genuine love.Help each of us who follows Christ not to be contentious or self-willed. Let us adapt ourselves to the traditions of the past that promote good order.In the name of Jesus I submit to your authority, asking these things according to his will. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
____________________

Giving No Offense

Passage

1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1

Prayer

Dear Father,Keep me from giving offense to people of any race, any class, any tradition, not seeking my own advantage, but let me please everybody - for their good - that they may be saved. Let me imitate your great apostles, but most of all let me imitate Jesus, who came to glorify your name, to serve instead of be served, and to seek and save those who were lost.In the name of Jesus and in reliance upon his example I ask this. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
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Nothing between God and Me

Passage

1 Corinthians 10:14-22

Prayer

Dear Father,Never let an idol stand between me and you. I am not stronger than you. I don't want to provoke you to jealousy.Help me to understand that while \"all things are lawful,\" all things are not helpful.Let everything I do, whether working or resting, eating or drinking, be done for your glory.May I never worship myself, live for myself, or strive to please myself. I want to worship you, to live for you, to please you.In the name of Jesus and in reliance upon his example I ask this. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
____________________

Members of His Body

Passage

1 Corinthians 12:12-30

Prayer

Dear Father, God of order,You have invested the inferior parts of the body with greater honor. You have given the weak parts of the body indispensable roles. You have given some who are unpresentable a greater modesty.Your ordering of people in the body of Christ is altogether wonderful. You have called all of us to be humble, loving, caring. You want us to prefer one another in honor and to count others better than ourselves. Help me to be this way in relating to other people.Thank you for making me a member of Christ's body, thus guaranteeing that I will live forever in him.O heavenly Father, let his life - his goodness and everlasting love - be lived fully in my life. Fill me with his presence and Spirit.In the name of Jesus, the head of the body, I ask. Amen.