Beyond the Mere Ritual

 

 

Heavenly Father,

I pray today

That my prayer

Would go beyond mere ritual,

And be not the complaints

Or the grocery list

As usual.

 

Help me,

Heavenly Father,

To appreciate you

Simply just for who you are

And to thank you

For supplying my needs

As you always do.

 

And to do so,

Heavenly Father,

Form a heart of gratitude,

Ascribing to You all glory,

And all honour,

And all praise

In the right attitude.

 

Giving thanks,

Heavenly Father,

For those necessities

I often take for granted:

Like the strength I use,

And the air I breathe

Uninhibited.

 

For the so-much

That is going for me,

Heavenly Father,

Rather than the focus I take

On life’s challenges

And making the same

A huge bother.

 

 

Help me today

And always,

Heavenly Father,

To go beyond the mere ritual,

Praying from the heart,

And that without ceasing,

It will be continual.

 

Help me, Heavenly Father,

To conform to the image of Christ

As I grow and glow,

And that the beauty of Jesus

Will be seen in me

As I live out in my life

Here below.

 

I pray, Heavenly Father,

That…

My walk will match my talk,

My life will match my lip,

My prayer would be mindful

And meaningful

And not just a daily habit.

 

Stewart Russell © February 21, 2022

 

A Sermon in Shoes

A sermon is better lived

Than talked any day,

Yes, talking is good

But living is the best way.

Life is more critical than lip

We must understand,

And one’s witness by life

Is the Master’s demand.

I’d rather see a sermon

Than hear one any time,

I’d rather a living example

Than instruction of any kind.

A sermon in shoes

Bespeaks a believer’s walk:

One’s feet shod with the Gospel

In support of one’s talk.

People hear what they see

More than what they hear,

And a genuine witness

Is shown through love and care.

Jesus demonstrated this

In all that he preached

And our example in living

Must sync with what we teach.

“What you do speaks so loudly

I can’t hear what you say,”

Is pertinent to any believer

Whose talk contradicts the way.

Somewhat like the Pharisees

In Jesus’ day

That were good at talking

But walking? No way!

Hypocrisy was synonymous

With their way of life

And what they said and did

Were really at strife.

A sermon in shoes

Is what Jesus requires

To ferry the Gospel message

Wherever he desires.

Stewart Russell © October 2019