"Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among the peoples! For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised..." Psalms 96:1-4

It's Monday again, and the start of a new week. Thank you Lord for new life, our daily breath! Thank you for salvation, for the Cross of Jesus Christ, without which, we would be hopelessly lost! But we have hope and meaning and purpose in this New Life found in Christ! Praise the Lord for the joy that we can have with this in mind, as we go throughout this week. Lord, teach us to live every breath in faith, trusting that you hold the reigns-nothing is outside of your Sovereign hands. Teach us to live a lifestyle of worship, giving thanks and glory to you in ALL we do. We confess we do not know how to do this-our days are most often preoccupied with ME. We live to glory ourselves and gain pleasure, worth, and purpose apart from you. Teach us to find our ultimate joy in you, our satisfaction, our hope in you. May we recognize that every good thing is from you, so that we may worship you in a spirit of thankfulness, by simply enjoying your blessings for Your Name's sake. Teach us to trust your heart and plan in the times of despair, emptiness, pain, longing, stagnation, lack of desire. May we look to you for our Life and Salvation in these times, worshipping you even then with hearts thankful for a renewed dependency on you. Turn our hearts to things unseen, not what is seen. Fix our perspective on things eternal, not things of this temporary life. Show us the way in which we should go this week- guide our path. Give us wisdom, discernment, boldness in our relationships. Give us opportunities to share your life-giving Hope, the eyes and ears to recognize the opportunities, and the courage to obey. We love you Lord, we submit our lives anew to you.

"It is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God...It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain." Philippians 1:9-11,20-21