Month: October 2021

Buried treasure

Ruth Kirk

The kingdom of God is within you.
(Luke 17:21; KJV). 

1. You are the treasure
Buried within us:
You are our hidden hoard.

2. You are our pearl
Beyond all price:
You are our holy Lord.

3. So, may we all
Grow more like you,
Impossible though that seems,

4. For you are our God,
The only One
Who rescues, restores, and redeems.

💛

He redeems me from death.
(Psalm 103:4; NLT).

 

References 

1. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field (Matthew 13:44; CSB).

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

We are the temple of the living God (2 Corinthians 6:16; NLT).

2. The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it (Matthew 13:45-6; CSB).

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty – the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come (Revelation 4:8; NLT).

3. You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy (Leviticus 19:2; NLT). 

We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ (Ephesians 4:15; NLT).

Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him (Colossians 3:10; NLT). 

Nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37; NLT).

4. You are our God (Hosea 2:23; NLT).

The Lord our God is the one and only Lord (Mark 12:29; NLT).

Surely he rescues me from all trouble (Psalm 54:7; NET). 

He restores my soul (Psalm 23:3; NKJV).

 

 

You care for me

Ruth Kirk

He cares for you.
(1 Peter 5:7; NKJV). 

Father God,
You care for me;
Christ,
You heal my soul;

Spirit,
You encourage me:
Lord,
You are my goal.

Father God,
I worship you;
Christ,
I hear your voice;

Spirit,
I belong to you:
Lord,
You are my choice.

💙

Choose today whom you will serve.
(Joshua 24:15; NLT).

 

I sigh

Ruth Kirk

The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden
to tend and watch over it.
(Genesis 2:15; NLT).

Father, I sigh,
Because we’re abusing
Your planet.

Father, I cry,
Because we’re exploiting
The weak.

Father, I mourn,
Because we’re ill-treating
Our bodies.

Father, I grieve,
Because this world’s future
Is bleak.

❤️

The end of the world is coming soon.
(1 Peter 4:7; NLT).

 

 

Christ’s mindset

Ruth Kirk

In your relationships with one another,
have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 2:5; NIV).

Christ never snapped
I told you so!
But spoke the truth in love.

He never paid back
Blow for blow,
But turned the other cheek.

He never lied,
Or hated,
Or made others take the blame.

He never swore,
Or held a grudge,
But bore our sin and shame.

🖤

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”
(1 Peter 2:24; NIV). 

 

Sharing (for B.A.)

Ruth Kirk

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Saviour,
who daily bears our burdens.
(Psalm 68:19; NIV). 

Father,
You are here within us,
Sharing all our joys and fears.

Jesus,
You are here within us,
Sharing all our pain and tears.

Spirit,
You are here within us,
Sharing every sigh; each breath.

So, may we share all
With you, Lord,
Here, on earth, and after death.

🤎

Pour out your heart to him,
for God is our refuge.
(Psalm 62:8; NLT).

 

May I see you

Ruth Kirk
Artwork by Gabriel Woodman

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

1. May I see you, Lord, in all;
May they glimpse you in me.

2. May I hear you, Lord, in all;
May they sense you in me.

3. May I serve you, Lord, in all;
May they find you in me.

4. May I love you, Lord, in all;
May they know you in me.

🖤

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them.
(Romans 12:9; NLT).

References

1. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him (Colossians 3:10; NLT). 

2. God speaks again and again, though people do not recognise it (Job 33:14; NLT).

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

The Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you must say (Luke 12:11-12; 

3. Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all (Mark 9:35; NIV).

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

4. You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind (Luke 10:27; NLT).

The Lord – who is the Spirit – makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image (2 Corinthians 3:18; NLT). 

Then their eyes were opened and they knew him (Luke 24:31; NKJV).

You are the temple of the living God (2 Corinthians 6:16; NLT).

 

 

Life is hard

Ruth Kirk

Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.
(John 16:33; NLT).

Life is hard
When loss and want
Become our daily bread.

Life is hard
When fear and grief
Become our bitter cup.

Life is hard
When memories
Become all we hold dear.

Life is hard,
Yet, in our pain, Lord,
You are always here.

In all their suffering he also suffered.
(Isaiah 63:9; NLT). 

The Lord is always with me.
(Psalm 16:8; NLT).

Every day

Ruth Kirk

His mercies begin afresh each morning
(Lamentations 3:22; NLT).

Every day, Lord Jesus,
Is a chance to start afresh,
By turning from my selfish ways
To help those in distress.

Every day, Lord Jesus,
Is a chance to start once more,
By praying, praising, worshipping,
And giving to the poor.

Every day, Lord Jesus,
Is a chance to start again,
By taking up my heavy cross,
And sharing others’ pain.

Every day, Lord Jesus,
Is a chance to start anew,
By following your way of love,
And growing more like you.

💛

We will speak the truth in love,
growing in every way more and more like Christ
(Ephesians 4:15; NLT).

May I walk

Ruth Kirk

💙

1. May I walk, Lord Jesus;
Walk your narrow way.

2. May I eat, Lord Jesus;
Eat your bread of tears.

3. May I drink, Lord Jesus;
Drink your bitter cup.

4. May I know, Lord Jesus;
Know your pains and fears.

5. May I love, Lord Jesus;
Love all those I meet.

6. May I serve, Lord Jesus;
Serve your people, too.

7. May I share, Lord Jesus;
Share your heavy cross.

8. May I be, Lord Jesus,
Always one with you.

💙

References

1. The gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life (Matthew 7:14; NASB).

2. You have fed them with the bread of tears (Psalm 80:5; NIV). 

3. He has filled me with bitterness and given me a bitter cup of sorrow to drink (Lamentations 3:15; NLT). 

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

5. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ (Ephesians 5:2; NLT).

6. Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all (Mark 9:35; NIV).

7. As they led Jesus away, a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, happened to be coming in from the countryside. The soldiers seized him and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus (Luke 23:26; NLT).

8. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one – as you are in me, Father, and I am in you (John 17:21; NLT).

Trust in the Lord

Ruth Kirk

Trust in the Lord with all your heart.
(Proverbs 3:5; NLT). 

Trust in the Lord,
For his love is so wide.
His light is undying;
His Spirit, our guide.

Trust in the Lord,
For his love is so long.
His peace is unending;
His mercy is strong.

Trust in the Lord,
For his love is so high.
His truth is unfailing;
His tongue cannot lie.

Trust in the Lord,
For his love is so deep.
His grace is eternal;
His healing, complete.

🧡

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 3:18; NLT).