A Prayer at the Start of August

Lord God, on this first morning of August we confess that we were born into Adam's family. Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and we have added our own share to the inheritance. We do not pretend otherwise before you.

But we thank you for the second man. We thank you for the obedience of Jesus Christ, which has made many righteous, and for the gift that is not like the trespass. Where our sin increased, your grace increased all the more. We receive that gift again today with empty hands.

Let this month be lived under the reign of grace rather than the reign of death. When old patterns try to reassert their claim on us, remind us whose family we belong to now. When we are tempted to measure ourselves by our record, turn our eyes to the record of your Son.

Give us the courage to reign in life, as your word promises, not timidly and not proudly, but as people who have received abundant provision. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.