Change

Ruth Kirk

This evening I watched a video in which a man who was being subjected to online hate for rescuing abandoned animals spoke of “turning his pain into love”. Sadly, I don’t know his name, but his story instantly inspired the following words…

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2; NIV).

Love your enemies (Luke 6:35; ESV).

Let’s turn our pain
Into love,
And let’s turn our rage
Into calm.

Let’s turn our dread
Into peace,
And let’s turn our hurt
Into balm.

Let’s turn our fear
Into strength,
And let’s turn our grief
Into care.

Let’s turn our past
Into hope,
And let’s turn our lives
Into prayer.

Never stop praying (1 Thessalonians 5:17; NLT).

Pray for those who abuse you (Luke 6:28; ESV).

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth (1 Timothy 2:2-4; NLT).

Hope

Ruth Kirk

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be” (Romans 4:18; NIV). 

Let’s hope,
Despite hopelessness;
Love,
Despite loneliness;

Serve,
Despite suffering;
Live,
Despite loss.

Let’s pray,
Despite pointlessness;
Wait,
Despite weariness;

Trust,
Despite trials –
And carry
Our cross.

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23; NLT).

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world (John 16:33; NLT).

 

Consequences

Ruth Kirk

We can’t get peace by shouting.
We can’t get love with threats.

We can’t get what we want
With violence,
Or with bombs…

Because when we bully, abuse,
And threaten others,
Attack them, destroy their lives, their families,
And their homes,

We create chaos, fear, and trauma;
Heartbreak; hatred; bitterness –
And the unquenchable thirst
For revenge.

All these can be crushed –
For a while.
Locked down, and suppressed –
For a while…

But people’s loss and grief,
Their bitter resentment,
And their slow-burning
Absolute determination
To take revenge
Will never end.

These things are passed on
From generation to generation –
Until, at last,
All their hunger for retribution
And vengeance is unleashed.

Then the abomination
Of our desolation
Is laid bare.

Here, in my body…

Ruth Kirk

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23; NLT).

Here,
In my body,
My mind, heart,
And soul,

There is darkness,
And loneliness;
Silence,
And emptiness;

Thirsting,
And suffering;
Anguish,
And hopelessness;

Agony;
Loss –
And God;
And my cross.

At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Matthew 27:46; NLT).

Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last (Luke 23:46; NLT).

When you ask for healing

Ruth Kirk

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them (1 Timothy 2:1; NLT).

When you ask for healing,
Pray for others, too:
Pray for those who suffer,
And nothing makes them new;
Plead for all who live with pain –
Jesus, make them whole again.

When you crave forgiveness,
Pray for all, as well:
Pray for those who’ve hurt you,
And caused you years of hell;
Plead for those who’ve spoiled your life –
Jesus, may they see your light.

When you seek salvation,
Pray for all the earth:
Pray for those who don’t believe
In God, who gave them birth;
Plead for those who just say, “No!” –
Jesus, help them change and grow.

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is (Ephesians 3:16-18; NLT).

It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow (1 Corinthians 3:7; NLT).

What is prayer?

Ruth Kirk

Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD (Psalm 27:14; NLT).

🙏 Prayer is waiting for God
In stillness…

🙏 Listening for God’s voice
In silence…

🙏 Searching for God
In darkness…

🙏 Thirsting for God
In the desert…

🙏 And spending time with God,
Despite feeling entirely alone.

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? (Psalm 22:1; NLT).

We are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people” (2 Corinthians 6:16; NLT).

References

The LORD is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him (Habakkuk 2:20; NLT).

Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world (Psalm 46:10; NLT).

Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes (Psalm 37:7; NLT).

He is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. If only you would listen to his voice today! (Psalm 95:7; NLT).

You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13; CSB).

I lift my hands to you in prayer. I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain (Psalm 143:6; NLT).

Jesus left the crowds to pray alone (Luke 9:18; NLT).

The Kingdom of God

Ruth Kirk

There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all (Ephesians 4:5-6; NLT).

Our Maker is within us;
Our Saviour is within us;
Our Helper is within us.

Our Maker is in others;
Our Saviour is in others;
Our Helper is in others.

Our Maker is among us;
Our Saviour is among us;
Our Helper is among us.

Not far away: within us;
Not far away: in others;
Not far away: among us.

One God, right here: within us;
One God, right here: in others;
One God, right here: among us.

So let’s seek God within us,
And let’s love God in others –
For God’s Kingdom is among us.

One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?” Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you” (Luke 17:20-21; NLT).

No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us (1 John 4:12; NLT).

References:

Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces; now he will heal us. He has injured us; now he will bandage our wounds (Hosea 6:1; NLT).

I am God, and not man; the Holy One within thee (Hosea 11:9; BST).

Christ lives within you (Romans 8:10; NLT).

Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us (Colossians 3:11; NLT).

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you (Romans 8:11; NLT).

Your immortal spirit is in every one of them (Wisdom of Solomon 12:1; GNTA).

Reading: Mark 12:28-31.

God

Ruth Kirk

There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all (Ephesians 4:5-6; NLT).

✠  Don’t reach up;
Don’t reach out;
Just reach in:

God is here –
In our pain
And our sin.

✠  God is love;
God is truth;
God is light;

God is strength;
God is fire;
God is life:

✠  In each mind,
And each heart,
And each soul –

God, our source,
And our breath,
And our goal.

My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead (Philippians 3:10-11; CSB).

References

Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead, with this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14; NET).

The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7; NIV).

Faith

Ruth Kirk

A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell along the path, and it was trodden under foot, and the birds of the air devoured it (Luke 8:5; RSV).

A trodden path;
A shallow soil;
A mass of thorns.

A barren field;
An empty barn;
A heap of reeds.

A fraying rope;
A dried-up well;
A broken bowl.

A secret door;
A private room;
An upper floor.

A dying fire;
A falling night;
A final meal –

Yet I will sing,
And tread the heights:
For God will heal.

Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives (Mark 14:26; NLT)

Though he wounds, he also bandages. He strikes, but his hands also heal (Job 5:18; NLT). 

For you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture (Malachi 4:2; NLT).

References:

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation. The Sovereign LORD is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights (Habakkuk 3:17-19; NLT).

Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well. For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:6-7; NLT).

He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle (Matthew 12:20; NLT).

Readings:

Mark 4:1-9.

Ecclesiastes 12:1-7.

Recognition

Ruth Kirk

These thoughts came to me as I started to pray in bed, just before settling down to sleep …

The two from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road, and how they had recognized him as he was breaking the bread (Luke 24:35; NLT).

At times we may long for some recognition, approval, or reward, however small, for all the efforts and sacrifices we make throughout our lives. However:

  • The only recognition
    Which really matters
    Is our recognition of Jesus
    As our Saviour.

  • The only approval
    Which really matters
    Is Christ’s approval
    Of how we love and serve him
    In others.

  • The only reward
    Which really matters
    Is seeing Jesus’ face,
    Hearing his voice,
    And receiving his embrace.

  • Therefore, the only goal
    Which really matters
    Is to become one
    With Christ Jesus our Lord
    For evermore.

Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him (Philippians 3:8-9; NLT).

References

In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us (Colossians 3:11; NLT).

We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them (1 John 4:14; NLT).

No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us (1 John 4:12; NLT).

Let love be your highest goal (1 Corinthians 14:1; NLT).

The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7; NIV).

Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me (Matthew 25:40; NIV).

Well done, my good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:21; NLT).

He returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him (Luke 15:20; NLT).