Praying With Paul

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
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Waiting on Each Other

Passage

1 Corinthians 11:33-34

Prayer

Dear Father, giver of bread and wine, Give each of us perfect courtesy toward others, even more, perfect love. When we come together, may we wait on each other. May each of us satisfy our hunger at home rather than behave as gluttons in the assembly of your people! May we come together not to be condemned, but to build each other up, and to be nourished by that bread which is life indeed, Jesus Christ. 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
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

Examining Myself

Passage

1 Corinthians 11:27-32

Prayer

Dear Father, giver of bread and wine, May I never eat the bread or drink the cup in an unworthy manner, lest I profane the body and blood of the Lord. Teach me to examine my heart and mind thoroughly before I eat of the bread and drink of the cup. Keep me from eating or drinking judgment upon myself by failing to discern the body of the Lord, and thus become weak and ill, or fall asleep. May I judge myself truly, so that I will not be condemned. Most of all, help me submit to your judgment, Lord, by which you chasten us so that we will not be condemned along with the world. In the name of Jesus, who is the daily bread and wine of our lives, I ask. Amen.

[nChrist]

________________________________
Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

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]

________________________________
Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

Love Never Ends

Passage

1 Corinthians 13:8-13

Prayer

Dear Father, O God of love! Let me possess love, for love never ends. I know that prophecy, tongues, and knowledge will pass away, for they are all incomplete and unfinished. When the complete and perfect comes, everything incomplete and unfinished will be gone. Enable me to put away the things of childhood - the way I reasoned, the way I spoke - and help me become mature. Now I see through a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall understand, even as I have been fully understood. Faith, hope, and love are the truly enduring qualities, but you proclaim love the greatest. Fill me with love!In the name of the loving Jesus and by his authority I come to you, asking these things according to his will. Amen.

[nChrist]

________________________________
Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

Speaking Truth

Passage

1 Corinthians 14:13-25

Prayer

Dear Father, God of intelligibility and peace, Let our praying, singing, and preaching be aimed at informing the minds and spirits of others, that they may be built up and respond, "Amen."Give us the attitude of Paul, who said, "I would rather speak five words with my mind, in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue." Let us be babies when it comes to evil, but not in our thinking. In our thinking, may we be mature, and may we speak your message in such a way that those who hear will be called to account, will have the secrets of the heart disclosed, will fall on their faces to worship you, and will declare that you are really among us. Submitting to your commands of peace and order, I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

[nChrist]

________________________________
Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

Order Out of Confusion

Passage

1 Corinthians 14:1-12

Prayer

Dear Father, God of intelligibility and peace, Thank you for reversing the curse of Babel when you poured out your Holy Spirit on believers in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost.Even in the confusion of many tongues you proclaimed your Good News to every tribe and nation under heaven, with every person hearing it in his or her own language. Thank you too for the gift of prophecy in the common language, believers speaking to one another for their mutual encouragement and consolation, a gift greater than tongues (unless the unknown language is interpreted), because understandable speech builds up your church. Help us to manifest your Spirit in all things. Help us to strive zealously for whatever builds up the church.In submission to you and in Jesus' name, I ask. Amen.

[nChrist]

________________________________
Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

All Things in Order

Passage

1 Corinthians 14:26-33

Prayer

Dear Father, God of intelligibility and peace, When we come together and each of us has something to contribute, may everything be done to build up the body. Let us do things one by one, or by pairs or triplets at most, so that all may learn and be encouraged. For you, our God, are not like the pagan gods, a god of confusion and hysteria, but are a god of peace. Let us honor you by doing things decently and in order. Submitting to your commands of peace and order, I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

[nChrist]

________________________________
Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

The Good News

Passage

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

Prayer

Dear Father, God of the living, Thank you for the Good News that Jesus Christ, your Son, is risen from the dead. Thank you that by it I am saved and in it I stand, if I hold it fast - unless I believed in vain - which I did not. Thank you for the important message we received - that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, - thank you, Lord! - that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance to the Scriptures, - thank you, Lord! - and that he appeared to many, many eyewitnesses - thank you, Lord! Praise your name! In the name of Jesus I thank you for your resurrection power and ask that I may live so as to always have hope of sharing in it. Amen.

[nChrist]

________________________________
Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

Eyewitnesses

Passage

1 Corinthians 15:5-10

Prayer

Dear Father, God of real history, Thank you for the testimony of eyewitnesses who saw Christ alive after his crucifixion: Cephas, the twelve, more than five hundred brethren, and James. Thank you for the testimony of the apostles and for Paul. I am grateful that I am not following cleverly devised myths, but the reality of history! I believe their testimony! And yours! In the name of Jesus I come, thanking you for your resurrection power and asking that I may live so as always to have hope of sharing in it. Amen.

[nChrist]

________________________________
Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

Christ in My Heart

Passage

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Prayer

Dear Father, God of the living, Thank you that Christ's revelation of himself within my soul as Lord of my life and as the living Spirit of truth and holiness testifies that he is not dead but alive forevermore. Thank you that he lives in my heart. By your grace, and by my faith in what you did, I am what I am. The resurrection is preached and I believe it. Thank you, Father! Thank you that I don't have to believe that death ends it all either for Jesus or for me! In the name of Jesus I come, thanking you for your resurrection power and asking that I may live so as to always have hope of sharing in it. Amen.

[nChrist]

________________________________
Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

Resurrection Hope

Passage

1 Corinthians 15:12-20

Prayer

Dear Father, confirmer of truth, Strengthen me against all that Satan and the world can bring against me. Confirm my understanding of what you did in resurrecting Jesus and what you will do in resurrecting me and all your saints. If there is no resurrection, I know that the gospel is false, my faith is in vain, I am still in my sins, those who have fallen asleep have perished, and you have been misrepresented as having raised Jesus from the dead. If we Christians have hope only for this life, then we are to be pitied - for our suffering is for nothing. But we know that you have raised Christ from the dead, as the first fruits of them who have fallen asleep. In the name of Jesus I offer you this thanksgiving and praise for the most wonderful events of history, Christ's resurrection and ours. Amen.

[nChrist]

________________________________
Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

Life through Christ

Passage

1 Corinthians 15:21-23

Prayer

Dear Father, worthy God, You have declared that just as death came through the sin of one man, so life comes through one man's resurrection from the dead. As in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ first, then at his coming we who belong to him. Thank you, Father, for the assurance you gave by raising him up. Thank you that his resurrection is our resurrection! Thank you for this revelation of the order in which it will come. In the name of Jesus I offer you this thanksgiving and praise for the most wonderful events of history, Christ's resurrection and ours. Amen.

[nChrist]

________________________________
Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

Look to the End

Passage

1 Corinthians 15:26

Prayer

Dear Father, destroyer of every enemy, Help me to look to the outcome, to the end of things, when Christ will deliver the kingdom to you after destroying every ruler, every authority, and every power. Enable me to keep my eyes on his victory, for he must reign until he has put all enemies under his feet. Motivate me to focus on the time when even the last enemy, Death itself, will be destroyed by our Lord.In his name I pray. Amen.

[nChrist]

________________________________
Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

Everything to Everyone

Passage

1 Corinthians 15:27-28

Prayer

Dear Father, my everything, May I learn from Christ's subjection to you, for when all things are subjected to him, your Son himself will also be subject to you, the God who put all things under the Son, that you may be everything to everyone! Our Father, increase my love for you until you become everything to me! It is almost too awesome to ask - I am afraid of so much change: May I love you like Jesus loves you! In his name. Amen.

[nChrist]

________________________________
Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

Perseverence

Passage

1 Corinthians 15:29-34

Prayer

Dear Father, rewarder of all who diligently seek you, Thank you for Jesus, whose life not only taught us how to live, but whose resurrection proved that you have power over death. Thank you for the assurance of resurrection, for without it we would have no reason to persevere. His resurrection is why I believe in my own future resurrection. All my hopes are pinned on him. Were it not for this, I would live as do unbelievers, who say, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." May I live according to Christ's righteousness through the power that raised him from the dead. And may I never forget the promise of resurrection. In the name of Jesus I lift up this prayer. Amen.