Praying with Paul

Passage

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Prayer

Dear Father, great, good and generous giver,Thank you for making me part of the body of Christ, his church. Thank you that there are no unimportant parts to the body. Thank you that all of us are interconnected and interdependent.We have a variety of gifts from you, but all have the same spirit.We have varieties of service, but all have the same Lord, Jesus Christ.We have various ways of working, but it is you, O God, who inspires all of it. Your...

 

Passage
1 Corinthians 11:33-34

Prayer
Dear Father, giver of bread and wine,Give each of us perfect courtesy toward others, even more, perfect love. When we come together, may we wait on each other.May each of us satisfy our hunger at home rather than behave as gluttons in the assembly of your people!May we come together not to be condemned, but to build each other up, and to be nourished by that bread which is life indeed, Jesus Christ.In the name of Jesus, who is the daily bread and...

 

Passage

1 Corinthians 11:27-32

Prayer

Dear Father, giver of bread and wine,May I never eat the bread or drink the cup in an unworthy manner, lest I profane the body and blood of the Lord. Teach me to examine my heart and mind thoroughly before I eat of the bread and drink of the cup.Keep me from eating or drinking judgment upon myself by failing to discern the body of the Lord, and thus become weak and ill, or fall asleep.May I judge myself truly, so that I will not be...

 

Passage

1 Corinthians 11:24-26

Prayer

Dear Father, giver of bread and wine,Cause us to remember that in the same way he blessed the bread, after supper he took the cup, saying, \"This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.\"Help us, giver of the heavenly bread and the heavenly wine, to eat and drink, as often as we do it, in proclamation of the Lord's death until he comes.In the name of Jesus, who is the daily bread and wine of...

 

Passage

1 Corinthians 11:17-23

Prayer

Dear Father, giver of bread and wine,When we come together as your family to partake of bread and wine, let it truly be \"the Lord's supper\" which we eat. Let there be no divisions or preferences among us, no putting ourselves first, or putting our group first. Let there be no divisions between rich and poor, young and old, dark-skinned or light, white collar or blue collar. Let no one do anything that would humiliate another. For \"the Lord's...

 

Passage

1 Corinthians 11:2-16

Prayer

Dear Father, God of the present and the future, but also of the past,Make me willing to consider and accept new things. But also help me to respect and maintain the traditions from the past. May I acknowledge that Christ is my head and submit myself to him, even as he acknowledges you as his head.May Christian wives acknowledge the headship of their own husbands, and may their husbands honor Christ as their head. Help husbands and wives live...

 

Passage
1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1

Prayer
Dear Father,Keep me from giving offense to people of any race, any class, any tradition, not seeking my own advantage, but let me please everybody - for their good - that they may be saved. Let me imitate your great apostles, but most of all let me imitate Jesus, who came to glorify your name, to serve instead of be served, and to seek and save those who were lost.In the name of Jesus and in reliance upon his example I ask this. Amen...

 

Passage

1 Corinthians 10:14-22

Prayer

Dear Father,Never let an idol stand between me and you. I am not stronger than you. I don't want to provoke you to jealousy.Help me to understand that while \"all things are lawful,\" all things are not helpful.Let everything I do, whether working or resting, eating or drinking, be done for your glory.May I never worship myself, live for myself, or strive to please myself. I want to worship you, to live for you, to please you.In the name of...

 

Passage

1 Corinthians 10:6-15

Prayer

Dear Father, righteous judge of all mankind,Help me to live as one upon whom the end of the ages has come. Help me take what happened to the Israelites as a warning to myself. Don't let me get puffed up, thinking that I cannot fall. But at the same time let me keep in mind that no temptation has overtaken me that is not common to man. Help me remember that you are faithful and will not allow me to be tempted beyond my strength, but with every...

 

Passage

1 Corinthians 10:1-5

Prayer

Dear Father, righteous judge of all mankind,Help me take to heart the examples of disobedience and punishment set by your ancient people as they wandered through the wilderness.Although they were baptized into Moses in the cloud and the sea, and drank of the spiritual food and spiritual water, flowing backward through time from that spiritual Rock, which was Christ himself. In spite of all this, they got lost in the wilderness because they...