Prayer for Today

Jesus, Paul reminds me
that you died for us,
even though we were
still in our sins.
I am very grateful for that,
because if this gospel presents
the measure by which
I am to be measured,
then clearly I don’t have a
chance of being saved by
my own merits.
Thank you for loving me
with a love that is
stronger than death--
and certainly stronger
than my sinfulness.

But Jesus, I do want
to be your disciple,
and that means
joining myself to you and
living your life in my own.
And you have set the bar
for discipleship very high indeed.
The world is a dangerous place;
how long would I last if
I followed your words exactly?
And yet, how much
can I water them down
and still claim to follow you?
If an outside observer would say
that my lifestyle and attitudes
are pretty much the same as
that of the mainstream
culture around me,
then perhaps I need to take
what you say more seriously.

Yes, Lord, you forgive my
sins and offer me eternal life.
I am your disciple.
Please, give me
the grace to act like it.
Amen.