Category: Christ

Look at your sorrow (with thanks to R.O.)

Ruth Kirk

Image: 272447, Pixabay

1. Look at your sorrow,
Your pain, and your fear;
Then take God’s right hand,
For the Father is near.

2. Look at your body,
Your mind, and your heart;
Then take a step back,
And let God play his part.

3. Look at your setting,
Wherever you are;
Then move further back,
And observe from afar.

4. Look at your country,
Your continent, too;
Then shift further back,
For a much wider view.

5. Look at our planet,
The moon, stars, and sun;
Then go further back,
Till you see all is one.

6. Look at the universe,
God’s boundless space;
Then draw further back,
To behold his bright face.

7. Witness creation,
Christ’s birth, and God’s plan;
Then praise him forever,
And rest in his hand.

 

References

1. You reach out your hand, and the power of your right hand saves me (Psalm 138:7; NLT).

Though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me (Psalm 23:4; KJV).

2. I hold you by your right hand – I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, “Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you” (Isaiah 41:13; NLT).

3,4. No power in the sky above or in the earth below – indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:39; NLT).

5. There is one Lord […] who is over all and in all and living through all (Ephesians 4:5-6; NLT).

6. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1; NLT).

They will see God’s face (Job 33:26; NIV).

7. This is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children (Ephesians 3:6; NLT).

I will praise you forever, O God (Psalm 52:9; NLT).

I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28; NLT).

The Lord will hold you in his hand (Isaiah 62:3; NLT).

The Unknown God

Ruth Kirk

Image: Manuel Schmitt, Pixabay

1. Lord,
You are the Unknown God,
Yet you form heaven and earth.
May we seek you
In Christ, your Son,
Who saves us through his birth.

2. Lord,
You are the Unseen God,
Yet you make stars and space.
May we find you
In Christ, your Son,
Who saves us through his grace.

3. Lord,
You are the Unheard God,
Yet you give life and breath.
May we hear you
In Christ, your Son,
Who saves us through his death.

4. Lord,
You are the Unloved God,
Yet you help those who fall.
May we know you
In Christ, your Son,
Who rose to save us all.

 

References

1. As I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about. He is the God who made the world and everything in it (Acts 17:23-4; NLT).

Keep on seeking, and you will find (Matthew 7:7; NLT).

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15; NLT).

Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord (Luke 2:11; NIV).

2. All honour and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God (1 Timothy 1:17; NLT).

He also made the stars (Genesis 1:16; NLT).

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1; NLT).

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being (Hebrews 1:3; NIV).

We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus (Acts 15:11; NLT).

3. Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking (Hebrews 12:25; NLT).

He himself gives life and breath to everything (Acts 17:25; NLT).

I do nothing on my own but say only what the Father taught me (John 8:28; NLT).

Our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son (Romans 5:10; NLT).

4. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God” (Psalm 14:1; NIV).

The wicked will go down to the grave. This is the fate of all the nations who ignore God (Psalm 9:17; NLT).

Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand (Psalm 37:24; NLT).

[Baptism] now saves you. […] It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:22; NLT). 

I can do all things

Ruth Kirk

Image: falco, Pixabay

1. I can do all things though Christ,
Who strengthens me each day;
Who hears my voice,
And answers me,
And helps me when I stray.

2. I can do all things through Christ,
Who shares my heavy load;
Who hears my prayers,
And teaches me,
And guides me on his road.

3. I can do all things through Christ,
Who helps me face each fear;
Who hears my cries,
And comforts me,
For he is always near.

References

1. I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13; NKJV).

He hears my voice and my prayer for mercy (Psalm 116:1; NLT).

I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain (Psalm 3:4; NIV).

He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy (Psalm 28:7; NLT).

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

He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows (Isaiah 53:4; NKJV).

He hears the prayers of the righteous (Proverbs 15:29; NLT).

You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am (John 13:13; RSV).

He guides me along right paths (Psalm 23:3; NLT).

3. I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me (Psalm 120:1; NIV).

He hears their cries for help and rescues them (Psalm 145:19; NLT).

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me (Psalm 23:4; KJV).

Make life your prayer

Ruth Kirk

Image: Momentmal, Pixabay

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

1. Make life your prayer,
And prayer, your life –
Then Christ will guide you
On his way.

2. Make work your prayer,
And prayer your work –
Then he will teach you
What to say.

3. Make rest your prayer,
And prayer, your rest –
Then Christ will help you
To forgive.

4. Make love your prayer,
And prayer your love –
Then he will show you
How to live.

I give myself to prayer (Psalm 109:4; NKJV).

 

References

1. He guides me along right paths (Psalm 23:3; NLT).

2. God will give you the right words at the right time (Matthew 10:19; NLT).

3. If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you (Matthew 6:14; NLT).

4. Teach me how to live, O Lord (Psalm 27:11; NLT).

He teaches me

Ruth Kirk

Image: Erik Mclean, Pexels

1. The Father lives within me.
He sustains my flesh and blood
While teaching me to practice
So I grow, like Christ, in love.

2. Christ Jesus dwells within me.
He helps me make each choice
By teaching me to listen
To the Spirit’s still, small voice.

3. The Spirit rests within me.
He comforts me each day
While teaching me to follow
God’s demanding, lonely way.

 

References

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

In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind (Job 12:10; NIV).

I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow (Isaiah 48:17; NLT).

I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying (Psalm 85:8; NLT).

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

May the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow (1 Thessalonians 3:12; NLT).

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

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

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21; NIV).

You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am (John 13:13; NLT).

Listen to his voice (Deuteronomy 13:4; NLT).

After the fire [came] a still small voice (1 Kings 19:12; KJV).

3. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19; NLT).

I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, [Comforter, Encourager, Counsellor] who will never leave you (John 14:16; NLT).

The Spirit teaches you everything you need to know (1 John 2:27; NLT).

Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me (Mark 8:34; NIV).

The gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult (Matthew 7:14; NLT).

God’s Living Bread

Ruth Kirk

Image: sumac.com, Yandex

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

1. I hold God’s Living Bread
In my cupped hands,
For in this Host
I bear Christ’s life and death.

2. I keep God’s Living Bread
In my cupped hands,
For in this Host
I know his touch, his breath.

3. I guard God’s Living Bread
In my cupped hands,
For in this Host
I see Christ’s light and love.

4. I take God’s Living Bread
From my cupped hands,
And share the feast
Awaiting me, above.

O most sacred Heart of Jesus, thou art concealed in the Holy Eucharist, and thou beatest for us still
(J.H. Newman).

References

1. I am the living bread (John 6:51; NLT).

He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you” (Luke 22:19; NIV).

2. Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” (Mark 1:41; NLT).

He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22; NLT).

3. I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life (John 8:12; NLT).

Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:39; NLT).

4. You prepare a feast for me (Psalm 23:5; NLT).

Many Gentiles will come from all over the world – from east and west – and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 8:11; NLT).

God gives

Ruth Kirk

Image: Jacques Gaimard, Pixabay

1. God gives us love,
So we can give back worship.

2. He gives us light,
So we can see our guilt.

3. God gives us truth,
So can grow in wisdom.

4. He gives us peace
Through Christ, whose blood was spilt.

5. God gives us faith,
So we can be united.

6. He gives us pain,
So we can learn to trust.

7. God gives us hope,
So we can build endurance.

8. He gives us grace
Through Christ, whose rule is just.

 

References

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

Worship the Lord in all his holy splendour (1 Chronicles 16:29; NLT).

2. I am the light of the world (John 8:12; NLT).

I know my transgressions and my sin is always before me (Psalm 51:3; NIV).

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

All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom (Psalm 111:10; NLT).

4. There is peace with God through Jesus Christ (Acts 10:36; NLT).

5. By grace you have been saved through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8; NIV).

I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one (John 17:21; NLT).

6. I am the one who wounds and heals (Deuteronomy 32:39; NLT).

Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me (John 14:1; NLT).

7. This letter is from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, appointed by the command of God our Saviour and Christ Jesus, who gives us hope (1 Timothy 1:1; NLT).

When your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow (James 1:3; NLT).

8. Be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 2:1; NLT).

I judge as God tells me. Therefore my judgement is just (John 5:30; NLT).

Safe place

Ruth Kirk

Image: Fotorech, Pixabay

You have not handed me over to my enemies
but have set me in a safe place
(Psalm 31:8; NLT).

1. Breathe in Christ’s peace.

2. Bask in his light.

3. Drink in his truth.

4. Rest in his might.

5. Dance in his flames.

6. Wash in his blood.

7. Feast on his bread.

8. Live in his love.

Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us
from the love of God that is revealed
in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:39; NLT).

References

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

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you (John 14:27; NKJV).

2. God is light (1 John 1:5; NIV).

I am the light of the world (John 8:12; NLT).

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

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

4. The Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed (Deuteronomy 10:17; NLT).

The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command (Hebrews 1:3; NLT).

5. God is a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24; NIV). 

I have come to set the world on fire (Luke 12:49; NLT).

6. “Go,” [Jesus] told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam.” So the man went and washed, and came home seeing (John 9:7; NIV).

The blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins ( Hebrews 9:14; NLT).

7. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! (Luke 12:24; NIV).

I am the living bread (John 6:51; NLT).

8. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them (1 John 4:16; NLT).

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

The love of Christ

Ruth Kirk


Image: Himsan, Pixabay

My old self has been crucified with Christ.
It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me
(Galatians 2:20; NLT).

1. The love of Christ
Shines in my hands.

2. He walks with me
To light the way.

3. The breath of Christ
Sustains my life.

4. He gives me hope
And strength each day.

5. The blood of Christ
Beats in my heart.

6. He touches me
To make me whole.

7. The peace of Christ
Calms all my fears:

8. He makes his home
Within my soul.

 

References

1. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end (John 13:1; NLT).

2. I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life (John 8:12; NLT).

3. He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22; NLT).

4. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17; NLT).

5. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:28; NIV).

6. When Jesus touched her hand, the fever left her (Matthew 8:15; NLT).

7. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you (John 14:27; NKJV).

He will calm all your fears (Zephaniah 3:17; NLT).

8. All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them (John 14:23; NLT).

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

May I share

Ruth Kirk

Image: Tumisu, Pixabay

1. Father,
In my anguish,
May I share the mind of Christ.

2. Father,
In my torment,
May I share his flesh and blood.

3. Father,
In my dying,
May I share his sacrifice.

4. Father,
In my rising,
May I share his perfect love.

 

References

1. Lord, see my anguish! My heart is broken and my soul despairs (Lamentations 1:20; NLT).

Being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground (Luke 22:44; NIV).

If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine (Matthew 26:39; NLT).

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5; NKJV).

2. My heart is troubled and restless. Days of suffering torment me (Job 30:27; NLT).

He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5; RSV).

Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies (2 Corinthians 4:10; NLT).

3. Into your hands I commit my spirit (Psalm 31:5; NIV).

I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath (Psalm 146:2; NLT).

If we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering (Romans 8:17; NLT).

4. Though I fall, I will rise again (Micah 7:8; NLT).

The time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, and they will rise again (John 5:28-9; NLT).

Perfect love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear (1 John 4:18; NLT).