As we breathe

Ruth Kirk

The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7; KJV).

Friends, as we breathe,
We are breathing the Spirit
Of God;

And, every day,
We are Christ’s living body
And blood.

Friends, as we dwell in their love,
Let us help, give
And share,

For this is our purpose
On earth:
To embody their care.

Anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4:8; NLT).

References

  • God, the LORD, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone who walks the earth (Isaiah 42:5; NLT).
  • In him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28; NIV).
  • 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 4:4-5; NLT).
  • Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us (Colossians 3:11; NLT).
  • You are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it (Corinthians 12:27; NIV).
  • God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us (1 John 4:13; NLT).
  • God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them (1 John 4:16; NLT).
  • Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ (Ephesians 5:2; NLT).
  • Love your neighbour as yourself (Leviticus 19:18; NLT).
  • Love the stranger (Deuteronomy 10:19; NKJV).
  • Show love to foreigners (Deuteronomy 10:19; NLT).
  • Love your enemies (Matthew 5:44; NLT).

At the end: #2 of 2 linked prayers

Ruth Kirk

They will see his face (Revelation 22:4; NLT).

When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied (Psalm 17:15; NLT).

At the end of space and time
I will see your face in mine.

As we quit both life and death
We will share our final breath.

Leaving trauma in the past
We will have one mind at last.

Our two hearts will be as one
Where there’s neither moon nor sun.

One healed soul, one loving kiss;
Then rest forever: perfect bliss.

While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him (Luke 15:20; NIV).

He offers a resting place for me in his luxurious love. His tracks take me to an oasis of peace near the quiet brook of bliss (Psalm 23:2; TPT).

References

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known (1 Corinthians 13:12; NIV).

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).

The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end (Isaiah 60:19-20; NIV).

At the end: #1 of 2 linked prayers

Ruth Kirk

They will see his face (Revelation 22:4; NLT). 

When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied (Psalm 17:15; NLT).

Will I see your face in mine
At the end of space and time?

Will we share one mind at last,
Leaving trauma in the past?

Will our hearts, Lord, beat as one,
Where there’s no more moon or sun?

Will we share one soul, one breath,
Far away from life and death?

Will I know your loving kiss,
And rest with you, my God, in bliss?

While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him (Luke 15:20; NIV).

What bliss you experience when your heart is pure! For then your eyes will open to see more and more of God (Matthew 5:8; TPT).

References

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known (1 Corinthians 13:12; NIV).

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).

The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end (Isaiah 60:19-20; NIV).

What bliss belongs to the one whose rebellion has been forgiven, those whose sins are covered by blood (Psalm 32:1; TPT).

He offers a resting place for me in his luxurious love. His tracks take me to an oasis of peace near the quiet brook of bliss (Psalm 23:2; TPT).

Reciprocity

Ruth Kirk

Keep on seeking, and you will find (Luke 11:9; NLT).

To seek Christ
Is to be sought,
And to find him
Is to be found.

To hear him
Is to be heard,
And to see him
Is to be seen.

To know Christ
Is to be known,
And to serve him
Is to be served.

To bless him
Is to be blessed –
And to love him
Is to be loved.

We love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19; NIV).

My beloved is mine and I am his (Song of Songs 2:16; NIV).

Facing the truth

Ruth Kirk

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6; NLT).

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).

  • You spoke the truth – and the religious authorities couldn’t stand it.
  • You spoke the truth – and the occupying powers couldn’t tolerate it.
  • You spoke the truth – and even the people you had taught, loved, served, and healed turned against you.
  • You lived the truth – so they closed their eyes, blocked their ears, and hardened their hearts. Then they condemned you to be tortured and killed.
  • But nothing could destroy your way, your truth, or the example you set by how you lived -loving and serving everyone you met,
  • And all these things are still just as relevant and vital today as they were over two thousand years ago.

I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you (John 13:15; NLT).

References

  • Christ Jesus… gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone (1 Timothy 2:5-6; NLT).
  • Love your neighbour as yourself (Leviticus 19:18; NLT).
  • Love the stranger (Deuteronomy 10:19; NKJV).
  • Show love to foreigners (Deuteronomy 10:19; NLT).
  • Love your enemies (Matthew 5:44; NLT).
  • We will be like him (1 John 3:2; NLT).
  • Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us (Colossians 3:11; NLT).
  • Anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4:8; NLT).
  • The King will reply, “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).
  • 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).
  • Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it (Psalm 34:14; NIV).

    A reading: Ephesians 3:14-19; JB.

    I pray, kneeling before the Father, from whom every family, whether spiritual or natural, takes its name: Out of his infinite glory, may he give you the power through his Spirit for your hidden self to grow strong, so that Christ may live in your hearts through faith, and then, planted in love and built on love, you will with all the saints have strength to grasp the breadth and the length, the height and the depth; until, knowing the love of Christ, which is beyond all knowledge, you are filled with the utter fullness of God.

Don’t try!

Ruth Kirk

Pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17; NIV).

Don’t try to make yourself pray:
Just offer your thinking
To Christ.

Don’t try to make yourself pray:
Just pour out your troubles
To him.

Don’t try to make yourself pray:
Just face all your anguish
With Christ.

Don’t try to make yourself pray:
Just share all your burdens
With him.

Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light” (Matthew 11:28-30; NLT).

Blessed be the LORD! Day after day he bears our burdens (Psalm 68:19; CSB).

References

I am the one who answers your prayers and cares for you (Hosea 14:8; NLT).

Surely he took up our pain, and bore our suffering (Isaiah 53:4; NIV).

In all their suffering he also suffered, and he personally rescued them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through all the years (Isaiah 63:9; NLT).

Praying for peace

Ruth Kirk

Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it (Psalm 34:14; NIV).

I pray for peace
In every mind:
Deep peace –
And in my own.

I pray for love
In every heart:
Great love –
And in my own.

I pray for truth
In every soul:
Pure truth –
And in my own.

I pray for hope
In every life:
Bright hope –
And in my own.

Look at my Servant, whom I have chosen… Finally he will cause justice to be victorious. And his name will be the hope of all the world (Matthew 12:18,20-21; NLT). 

At last the poor have hope, and the snapping jaws of the wicked are shut (Job 5:16; NLT).

The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-3; NLT).

References

The Lord is peace (Judges 6:24; NLT).

God is love (1 John 4:8; NLT).

The Spirit is truth (1 John 5:6; NKJV).

Pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17; NIV).

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).

O Lord, you alone are my hope (Psalm 71:5; NLT).

Put your hope in the LORD. Travel steadily along his path (Psalm 37:34; NLT).

The heart of the gospel

Ruth Kirk

“My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed (John 20:28; NLT).

The heart of the gospel
Is Jesus.

The heart of the gospel:
Be kind.

The heart of the gospel:
Forgiveness.

The heart of the gospel
Is love.

Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate (Luke 6:35-6; NLT).

The King will reply, “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).

References

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

Anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4:8; 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 4:16; NLT).

I love you, Lord (Psalm 18:1; NLT).

He loves us with unfailing love (Psalm 117:2; NLT).

May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else (1 Thessalonians 3:12; NIV).

Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbour as yourself (Leviticus 19:18; NLT).

Love the stranger (Deuteronomy 10:19; NKJV).

Show love to foreigners (Deuteronomy 10:19; NLT).

Love your enemies (Matthew 5:44; NLT).

Half the story

Ruth Kirk

I love you, Lord (Psalm 18:1; NLT).

I love you –
But that’s only half
The story.

You love me too –
And that’s what makes me
Whole.

For we are one –
In joy, and pain,
And sorrow;

One in mind and body,
Heart,
And soul.

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

He loves us with unfailing love (Psalm 117:2; NLT).

“My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed (John 20:28; NLT).

Anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4:8; 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 4:16; NLT).

May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else (1 Thessalonians 3:12; NIV).

Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbour as yourself (Leviticus 19:18; NLT).

Love the stranger (Deuteronomy 10:19; NKJV).

Show love to foreigners (Deuteronomy 10:19; NLT).

Love your enemies (Matthew 5:44; NLT).

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).