Lord, we claim to have nothing in Thy sight. We contributed nothing to our salvation. We did not come of our own free will. We were dead in trespasses and sin. We were unable to turn from the worship of the creation to the worship of the Creator. Grace gave us a new heart and because we had a new heart, we responded to the things spoken in the word of God. The new birth belongs to the work of the Spirit and not to the work of man.

Lord, we are amazed that You chosen to bring us to Thee and enabled us to love Thee, while others make a wretched choice. Men choose the world over Thee. The world offers pleasures for a season, but the season is soon gone. The Devil would deceive us if it were not for Thy word. We too would go our own way. We too would not be in the house of God, giving praise to Thee.

Lord, we confess every Sunday our sins. We need to hear the gospel every Sunday. Jesus died for sinners. Look unto Me and be saved. Come all ye who labor and are heavy laden and you shall find rest for your souls. The blood of Christ washes away all of our guilt and we are declared to be innocent in the presence of God. It is all because of what Jesus did and not because of anything we did.

Our Father we thank Thee for Thy Church. She is not perfect. She has been hurt and injured over the years. Sometimes she has almost died. She is fragile. She is frail and weak. She is often the object of ridicule. She is the target of those who hate her. But Lord, she is Your bride. She is the love of Your heart. Even in her weakness and frailty, she belongs to You. You have built Your Church. Even in her days of darkness, she is the source of power. She will prevail against the gates of Hell. She will be alive and full of grace even after we are gone. Generations die one after another, but he Church lives on. When we are dead, the Church will be here on earth as the bride of Christ.

Or Father, we pray for our fathers this morning. We thank you for faithful fathers because we know that such men can change the world. We thank Thee for fathers who take responsibility in the home, for the support of the their wives who are mothers, for the raising of children, for leading the family to Church Sunday after Sunday. We thank Thee for those fathers who lead the family in worship, who discipline their children in the Lord, and who teach their children that Jesus is both Savior and King. We thank Thee for fathers who teach their children about their sinful natures and who lead them to a gracious Savior. We thank Thee for fathers who teach their children about the Kingship of Christ. Christ is now King and rules over all things. We must think God’s thoughts after Him. We must capture every stronghold, every institution, everything opposed to Christ, by the work of the Spirit and through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Lord, we thank Thee for Fathers who teach their young boys to be men, strong and fearless, but men with grace and kindness in their hearts. We thank Thee for fathers who teach their daughters to be modest in their dress and demonstrate a spirit of humility in their hearts. Pretty is as pretty does.

Lord, we thank Thee for our Father in heaven who is holy, powerful, and demanding, yet who is also full of grace and mercy. He loves us so much that He gave us His Son who would die for us. Oh the great love of the Father! He also hears us when we pray and He answers us according to what is best for us. He does not give us too much, which would ruin us, and yet he gives us enough, that stimulates us to work hard, to study hard, and to endure hardship for the rewards that lie ahead of us.

There is a heaven and a hell. There are laws and there is grace. There is anger and there is mercy. All these things are bound up in the nature of our Father in Heaven. May they be found in Christian fathers on earth.