My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Father, we thank You for the spiritual leaders You have placed in our lives. We thank You for those who express personal concern when they see that we’re troubled and offer Bible-based counsel and encouragement. We thank You for those who contend earnestly for the faith, who do not follow the trends of their day but the teaching of the Bible. Father, we thank You for those who kneel before You and lift us up in prayer. You’ve given them a burden to care for our soul, to love us unconditionally. We hold them in the highest regard as they carefully deliver Scriptural truths that will keep us from being shaken as the slide to decadence continues to increase. Keep them safe from the evil one so that they remain a solid example to those whom they shepherd. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.