Blessed Heavenly Father, I come to you right now, as the text says, as your beloved child. What wonder! Let me be a true imitator of you – walking in love, just as Christ Jesus loved me (and the entire Church) and gave Himself up for us all as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to You.

As is proper among the saints, keep me from even the hint of sexual immorality in body or mind. In like manner, from even the whiff of impurity or greed. Keep me from all obscenity, foolish talk and crude joking. These are all out of character for your children. Fill me instead with thanksgiving. I pray these things fully aware that no immoral, impure or greedy person (greed which is actually idolatry) has any inheritance in the kingdom of You and Your Dear Son.

Keep me from the deceptions of empty words. From words and deceptions which bring your coming wrath on the sons of disobedience. I do not want to be a partaker with them.

Father, as you know, once I was darkness itself – but by your grace I am now light in Christ. Glory! I let me walk only and always as a child of Your light – bearing the fruit of the light which consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth – testing everything by whether or not it is pleasing to You.

By Your grace help me sever all fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness. Indeed, even to expose them for what they truly are. I know full well it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But whatever Your light exposes, it reveals things as they really are. So Your Word exhorts us to “wake up sleeper! Rise up from among the dead – and Christ will shine on you.”

Help me to pay careful attention to walk not as unwise, but as right in the light of Christ. Help me to redeem the time I have in light of the evil days in which I live. Keep me from foolishness, understanding what Your will is instead – not getting drunk on wine which only leads to recklessness and indiscretion, but instead being constantly filled with Your Spirit.

Help me to speak to my brothers and sisters with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs – making melody in my heart to You and always giving thanks to You Father – for all things – in the name of Jesus.

Grant me a humble and submissive spirit out of reverence to Christ.

As wives ought to submit to their own husbands as unto You. For in Your order, husbands serve as heads in the home like Christ does as head of His Church – which is His body – of which He is the Savior. So as the Church submits to Christ, it is fitting that wives submit to their own husbands in everything.

And as a husband, help me to love my wife just as Jesus loved the Church. He gave Himself up for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of water through The Word to present her to Himself as glorious, without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish but holy and blameless.

Let me love my wife this way too. Help me to love her as my own body – nourishing and cherishing her as Christ does His Church. For I am a member of His body.

This is the very reason why a man is to leave his parents and be united to his wife – the two becoming one flesh. What a profound mystery this is – revealing what it does regarding Christ and the Church!

Let me love my wife accordingly. And may she respect me.

Amen.