A Prayer For A Life of Goodness, Peace, and Joy

So I went looking for a graphic on the internet for something I was working on.  It was for the familiar verse:

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.  Romans 14:17

Along the way I bumped into some other verses from that chapter that reminded me of something I wonder if our society, and maybe even ourselves sometimes forget. 

We are all so ready to tear into someone for doing something wrong but often quite slow to observe how our own motives and behaviours miss the mark as well.  This practical reminder from God’s word gives us a moment to make an inventory of where our thinking and speaking and behaving has been in recent days, and if necessary, ask for forgiveness and make a new start.

Each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.  Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another.  Romans 14:12-13

We are clearly taught in this little section of the Bible that we need to be focusing our attention on how we are living for God and doing what God requires of us rather than being busybodies about what others are or aren’t doing.

For we don't live for ourselves or die for ourselves.  If we live, it's to honor the Lord.  And if we die, it's to honor the Lord.  So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.  Christ died and rose again for this very purpose - to be the Lord of both the living and the dead.  Romans 14:7-9

So, Heavenly Father, that’s what we want to do today.  We want to be people who live in grateful thanks and praise to You for the life You’ve given us, the blessings You pour into our lives day in and day out, and the positive life-giving lessons You teach us so we can not just survive in a day but thrive in doing good, and experiencing peace and joy.  What more could we ask for than that.

Let us make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.  Romans 14:16

We long for that to not only be our experience but also to be the experience of our family, our loved ones, our neighbours, even the strangers among us.  Show us today what actions we can take that lead to peace and mutual building up.  I read somewhere that to “edify” is to  instruct and improve especially in moral and religious knowledge; also uplift, enlighten, inform.

And Lord what we love about what Your word teaches us is that it’s good both act and also to notice and learn from what others are doing because the verse says “mutual edification.”

So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.  Romans 14:13

We need help most when someone who is weak is doing stupid around us.  It’s easy to have opinions and arguments about what and why they did or said.  Keep us from that, we pray.  It’s usually a waste of time and we’d like to give ourselves to what is positive and life-giving rather than what is destructive and life-destroying.

So today, help us to consciously choose to live to honour You, encourage others, learn from others, and live in goodness, peace, and joy.  Amen

Goodness, peace, and joy – sounds like something lovely to give ourselves to today, wouldn’t you say?  Have a great day doing so.