July 12

Colossians 3:12-13

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Spend a moment pondering your identity in Christ as “chosen,” “holy,” and “beloved.” Praise God for what He has done for you through Jesus--His Chosen One, Holy One, and Beloved One. Now, having been accepted by God in Christ, pray that you would exercise the qualities in this passage toward others. As God brings grudges to your mind, forgive those offenses.

July 9

Romans 15:5–7

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Thank God for the faith family he has given you at Redeemer, and ask him to help each of us be gracious to one another. Pray for harmony for his glory, that we may exemplify the gospel of grace to the world around us. Pray for boldness for the body of Christ, that the gospel would be central to the life of each member, and that we would all be faithful in sharing it with those around us. Finally, pray that Redeemer would always be a church that treasures the gospel, holding it close while also sharing it generously.

July 8

Romans 1:16–17

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Ask the Lord to give you the boldness to share your faith liberally, the wisdom to proclaim it effectively, the opportunity to share it consistently, and the assurance to trust in his sovereign will whatever the response. Also ask him to help you in continually applying that same gospel to your own life each day.

July 7

1 Peter 2:24

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

Consider the Lord's grace in not simply passing over your sins, but paying the penalty for them. Spend a moment in thanksgiving for the mercy you have been shown, and ask the Lord for the grace to show that mercy to others in need. Pray specifically for those you are close to that don't know Christ, that he would reveal himself to them, and that they would be saved.

July 6

Romans 5:9–11

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Praise the Lord for reconciling you to himself through Christ, recognizing that you were once an enemy, but have been made a friend, once an orphan, but now a child of God. Ask him to help you take seriously the ministry of reconciliation he has entrusted to you, and to help you share generously the message of reconciliation with those in need. Finally, ask him to reveal any relationships within your community that need to be reconciled, and to give you the grace and wisdom to pursue that reconciliation.

July 5

Colossians 3:9–10 

Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

Take a moment to thank God that he has made you a new creation, that the old has passed away, and that the new life he has given you is consistently being conformed into the image of Christ. Ask him to help you identify areas in your life where you are not reflecting him, so that, through grace and repentance, you may do so more faithfully.