Heavenly Father, I seek to abide in Christ. I realize that this is the key to fruitfulness in my life. Jesus is the Vine, and I am a branch. I need to continually abide in Him, for without Him I can do nothing. Amen.
(From "Bible Prayers for All Your Needs")

1 Hear this, all you peoples;
listen, all who live in this world,
3 My mouth will speak words of wisdom;
the utterance from my heart will give understanding.
5 Why should I fear when evil days come,
when wicked deceivers surround me-
6 those who trust in their wealth
and boast of their great riches?
7 No man can redeem the life of another
or give to God a ransom for him
15 But God will redeem my life from the grave;
he will surely take me to himself.
Psalm 49 New International Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary
(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading):
Nahum 1:1-13 – 1 Peter 1:13-25 - Matthew 19:13-22