Lord God, who is the one who justifies us and has chosen all of us since before creation, help us to escape the desire for the esteem and praise of others, that we might not be manipulated and deceived into straying from you and speaking that which is false in order to gain the world’s approval, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who reigns with you and the Holy Spirit in glory, world without end. Amen. ‘”Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets. “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.”‘ – Luke 6:22-23, 26
Matthew R Green
PhD