I found a great deal of help in my spiritual life in reading written prayers. Some of you may think that's a very strange thing to do, but I have a little book about a hundred years old called great souls at prayer.

And I wanted to read this one to you this morning.

You would bow your heads, please.

Grant unto us, Almighty God, that when our vision fails and our understanding is darkened,

when the ways of life seem hard and the brightness of life is gone,

to us grant the wisdom that deepens faith when the sight is dim.

And in largest trust when the understanding is not clear.

And whenever thy ways in nature or in the soul are hard to be understood, and may our quiet confidence, our patient

trust, our loving faith in thee be great.

And as children, knowing that they are loved, cared for, guarded, kept,

may we with a quiet mind at all times put our trust in the unseen God.

So may we face life without fear and painting. And whatsoever may be in the life to come, give us

confident hope that whatsoever is best for us both here and hereafter is thy good pleasure

and will be thy law. Amen.

Thank you for coming this morning.

Thank you for giving me the tremendous privilege of speaking to you on the subject

of three conditions of discipleship.

When Jesus was talking with his disciples in several of the Gospels, we find the same story, in Matthew

16 he said, if you want to be my disciple, you must do three things.

Number one, give up your right to yourself.

Number two, take up the cross, and number three, follow. Three,

three, follow. Three conditions of discipleship.

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