o God, the Author of all good,

i come to thee for the grace another day

will require for its duties and events.

i step out into a wicked world,

i carry about with me an evil heart,

i know that without thee i can do nothing,

    that everything with which i shall

        be concerned,

    however harmless in itself,

    may prove an occasion of sin or folly,

    unless i am kept by thy power.

hold thou me up and i shall be safe.

preserve my understanding from subtlety of error,

    my affections from love of idols,

    my character from stain of vice,

    my profession from every form of evil.

may i engage in nothing in which i cannot

        implore thy blessing

    and in which i cannot invite thy inspection.

prosper me in all lawful undertakings,

    or prepare me for disappointments;

give me neither poverty nor riches;

feed me with food convenient for me,

    lest i be full and deny thee

    and say, Who is the Lord?

    or be poor, and steal, and take thy name

        in vain.

may every creature be made good to me

        b prayer and thy will;

teach me how to use the world, and not abuse it,

    to improve my talents,

    to redeem my time,

    to walk in wisdom toward those without,

        and in kindness to those within,

    to do good to all men,

        and especially to my fellow Christians.

and to thee be the glory.

– the valley of vision

And satisfy the needs of the oppressed,

Then your light will rise in the darkness,

And your night will become like the noonday.

The Lord will guide you always;

He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land

And will strengthen your frame.

You will be like a well-watered garden,

Like a spring whose waters never fail.

Isaiah 58:10-11

total depravity has been on my mind today. maybe it’s that i’ve felt defeated by sin lately, or maybe it’s just that the Lord has placed it on my heart as a means to bring more humility to my life. either way, it’s the first of john calvin’s five points of reformed christianity, and it’s the foundation of my faith.

total depravity simply means that we can do absolutely nothing to please a perfect God, in and of ourselves.  only by His Spirit are we enabled to do good.

it took a long time in my walk to come to understand this principal.  and i believe that i still have much to learn.

even now find myself trying to atone for my own sins.  however, when i am reminded of the sufficiency of the person and work of Jesus Christ, i am humbled.  my entire being radiates thanksgiving and joy at this great mystery of mercy and grace; that God, in His full contentment within the Trinity, set His eyes upon us, His people, and gave his incarnate Son that we might share in His love and joy!  one day, He will perfect His saints, and we will forever commune with the Most High Creator!!

may His work quicken, in all of our hearts!  Amen…

please feel free to comment often, but i do ask that we always remain respectful to one another.  i have many atheist/ agnostic/ unbelieving friends, and i always ask that both sides, regardless of belief or unbelief, employ the golden rule.