Holy Lord, you are pure and without blemish. You have sanctified your people through your Word and we praise you for purification in the blood of Christ.

For so many of our friends and family members, cancer has interrupted happy and tranquil days. It seems to have become the ill of our age. Body cells grow uncontrolled and invade healthy tissue. The body works against itself. Therefore, we pray, Lord, for those who are undergoing treatment, often painful and slow. Give them courage, patience, and optimism for cure.

This malady reminds us all of our own spiritual cancer. We allow sin a place in our souls, and it grows uncontrolled and invades every corner of our lives. It causes us to work against ourselves and brings great spiritual harm, possibly for eternity.

So we also pray, Lord, for all of us as we battle against temptation and sin, that we might be courageous against the world, patient to overcome our failings, and full of faith, knowing that you have already provided the definitive treatment and gained the ultimate victory. For this, we rejoice in Jesus Christ, our great Physician. Amen.

God of all power and grace, every move you make is studied, purposeful, and effective. Olympic athletes have worked for years, in daily practice for hours on end, to train their muscles for the event in which they compete. An athlete measures each effort, celebrates every advance, studies each movement to improve and win.

Lord, may we apply the same effort to our heart, with powerful, purposeful movements that carry us closer to you and make us more effective in serving our neighbor.

Give us dedication to this discipline, more even than the Olympic athlete, so that one day we may shine in your approval and bask in your applause. For our medal will be an eternal one. Through Jesus who won the prize. Amen.

[Pertinent passage: Proverbs 23:12]

Father, you alone are God and in our hearts we recognize you as Lord. We repudiate all other idols, such as love of money and the desire to possess material goods. Give us today our needs, and make us content with what we have.

Lord, our wants get us into debt, our eyes open new lines of credit. We owe the devil for tomorrow's bread and for luxuries we're not willing to wait for.

Forgive us our greed, for we understand your wrath is upon those who garner and store up in barns. Make us like Christ, who practiced simplicity and trust and ate his daily bread in gratitude. Amen.

[Pertinent passages: Proverbs 22:7; Luke 3:14; Colossians 3:5; 1 Timothy 6:8; Hebrews 13:5,6]

Lord of justice and righteousness, you always do what is right. None can accuse you of wrongdoing. Your son Jesus was without sin. He is the perfect Son forever. You put within us the desire for justice. We cringe when we see justice denied (especially if we are the ones being denied it). We want a world that is fundamentally right and just, but live with injustice rife around us.

Father, give us strength to correct those wrongs we are able to correct, to act always in a righteous and merciful manner, to suffer patiently, like Jesus, when we are wronged for your sake, and to desire the heavenly home, where righteousness dwells and all evil has been removed. Because you are its light. Amen.

Heavenly Father, with you there is no vacillation, no change, no mood swings. You are constant, unwavering, true to your purpose and promise. So this, too, is our supplication:

• Let us begin every day with prayer and the word, in your presence.

• Let us meet with the saints, without fail.

• Let us be generous and kind to every person.

• Let the salvation of others be our constant goal.

To be like you, Father, consistent in all things, is our desire and our need. We cannot be so under our own power. Make us constant in faith, good works, hope, love, and motives. For Jesus never faltered on his way to the Cross. Amen.