Prayer 070713 (Being Good Psalms 34 1 John 1:1-10)

Our eternal father,

We come to you in praise for the good world that you have created, that we can live in and appreciate. Especially here in Australia, we are blessed with an abundance of wealth, a beautiful country, a high standard of living and so many ways to enjoy the bounties that this world can offer. We thank you for the continuing inventiveness and ingenuity of human progress, that makes our lives more comfortable, brings us better health, and lessens pain and suffering. We thank you for the many opportunities we have to do good things for others, and for those people we know who have done good by us, or who even currently are a blessing to us in doing good.

We think, Lord, of those many people who have sought to devote themselves to good things; to making life better for people; to alleviating the harshness that can also come with life; those who devote their lives to seeing justice done; those who would seek to protect the environment from degradation and destruction; those who strive for peace, and who stand up for others; those who seek to discover truth, and to share it with the world. There are so many different ways people seek to do good, and for all the ways that they might impact our lives, or the lives of others, we give you thanks, knowing that you are the ultimate source of all good things.

But Lord, we know that even though we might strive to do good, we do not always seek it for the right reasons. Sometimes we seek our own glory, sometimes we just seek our own good and our own pleasure. Sometimes the good things we want distract us from focusing on things of ultimate and eternal importance, from our relationship with you. Whatever good things we might have, or whatever good we seek to do, Lord, help us to ensure that we are doing it for you and for your glory. Help us to always give thanks to you, both for the good we have, the good we do, and the good others might do for us. May the glory always be yours.

Amen