I have challenged the members at Alameda Church of Christ to spend 5 minutes a day in God’s Word and to pray the following prayer every day for the next two months as I preach a sermon series on the fruit of the Spirit:
Heavenly Father, I pray that this day I may live in your presence and please you more and more.
Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow you.
Holy Spirit, I pray that this day you will fill me with yourself and cause your fruit to ripen in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Amen.
The reason for this prayer is because we believe, as Dr. Christopher J.H. Wright says, that “what the Spirit of God does, above all, is to make those who put their faith in Jesus to become more and more like the Jesus they love, trust, and follow.” So, we want to be people who intentionally and specifically petition God through prayer to grow within us the characteristics of Jesus so that we can make Jesus known to others through our very lives.
Will you join us in praying this prayer for growth?
rusty tugman 