Father God,

Today, I pray that You would remove our tastes for the pleasures of this world, even the simple ones, if they in any way interfere with pursuing holiness in Your sight. I pray not for the ascetic life, but for a life in which all the pleasures of this world are received as gifts which point to You and draw to You rather than distract from Your or attract to themselves.

Let us learn to enjoy this world in its fullness as children of the Living God who have been made stewards over it so that we might bear abundant fruit and enjoy Your blessings as they are determined by Your Providence. Let our daily bread overflow so that we might bless others around us and know that our God does not hold back sufficient blessings for His children.

Teach us to value all things according to Your Ways and Will rather than by our desires and ideas.

In Christ’s Name,

Amen