O my Lord,
Forgive me for serving thee in sinful ways – by glorying in my own strength,
by forcing myself to minister through necessity,
by accepting the applause of others,
by trusting in assumed grace and spiritual affection,
by a faith that rests upon my hold on Christ, not on him alone,
by having another foundation to stand upon beside thee; for thus I make flesh my arm.
Adapted from “Vain Service,” Puritan Prayers & Devotions (Kindle Edition)
