Morning Prayer - A Gift, Not a Payment

Father, remind me of that moment when You ignited a light in my heart and everything became new.

Thank You for giving me a new birth in Your great mercy.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3)

Lord, I confess that I sometimes forget this gift. I begin striving to merit Your love, as if I must fulfill a list of rules to be a good Christian. I try to earn righteousness through good works, but it is so exhausting and frustrating.

I feel as though I am trying to sit on a chair where I am already seated. You have already accepted me; You have already made me righteous in Jesus. Righteousness is a gift I receive by faith, not a wage I must earn.

Remind me, Lord, that You did not save me because of my own efforts.

“he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:5)

This new life I live is not merely an outward adjustment of behavior. It is a process of transformation happening deep within me. You are not just changing my actions; You are changing my heart.

When I surrendered to You, You began to reshape me from the inside out. Help me to live Without hidden corners in the heart, so that Your image in me may become ever more visible to others. I want people to experience You through me.

This process of transformation is Your work in me, through the Spirit.

“And we all, who with unveiled faces reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

I know this transformation does not happen overnight. At times, it seems so slow and barely perceptible. But one of the most beautiful benefits of life with You is the freedom to forget the past.

Today, I want to choose The End of Looking Back and accept grace for the present moment. I no longer want to dwell on old mistakes and failures.

Like the apostle Paul, I too want to fix my gaze forward, toward You.

“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,” (Philippians 3:13)

Thank You, Lord, for this journey of transformation. Thank You for being patient with me. Lead me in this freedom today, and continue to transform me into the image of Jesus.

Amen.

STAY IN TOUCH