Category: cross

There is no path

Ruth Kirk

Image: Tumisu, Pixabay

✝️

1. There is no path like yours, Lord,
And no better way to turn.

2. There is no life like yours, Lord,
And no finer truth to learn.

3. There is no light like yours, Lord,
And no deeper joy to share.

4. There is no grief like yours, Lord,
And no greater cross to bear.

5. There is no peace like yours, Lord,
And no sweeter voice to hear.

6. There is no love like yours, Lord,
And no other god to fear.

✝️

References

1. 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).

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

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

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete (John 15:11; NIV).

4. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death” Mark 14:34; NLT).

Whoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:27; NKJV).

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

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

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

6. God is love (1 John 4:16; NLT).

There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (John 15:13; NLT).

I am the Lord your God, and there is no other (Joel 2:27; NKJV).

You must fear the Lord your God and worship him and cling to him (Deuteronomy 10:20; NLT).

Send your snow

Ruth Kirk

Image: Richard Todd, Pixabay

I send good times and bad times (Isaiah 45:7; NLT).

Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? (Job 2:10; NIV).

1. Send your snow,
Your frost, your hail –
But help me, Lord,
For I am frail.

2. Send your storm,
Your rain, your gale –
But keep me on
Your narrow trail.

3. Send your pain,
Your darkest vale –
But comfort me,
Or I will fail.

4. Send your cross,
Each blow, each nail –
With you beside me,
I’ll prevail.

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble, or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? […] No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today not our worries about tomorrow – not even the powers of hell can separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:35-9; NLT).

Image: Dimitris Vetsikas, Pixabay

References

1. He sends his snow like white wool; he scatters frost upon the ground like ashes. He hurls the hail like stones. Who can stand against his freezing cold? (Psalm 147:16-17; NLT).

Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am frail (Psalm 6:2; NET).

2. He sends the lightening with the rain and releases the wind from his storehouses (Jeremiah 10:13; NLT).

By day the pillar of cloud did not fail to guide them on their path, not the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take (Nehemiah 9:19; NIV).

Small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it (Matthew 7:14; NIV).

I cried out, “I am slipping!” but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me (Psalm 94:18; NLT).

3. He wounds, he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal (Job 5:18; NIV).

My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen on me. Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me (Psalm 55:4-5; NIV).

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect me and comfort me (Psalm 23:4; NLT).

My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes (Psalm 38:10; NIV).

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

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

I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me (Psalm 16:8; NLT).

We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28; NIV).

My cross

Ruth Kirk

Image: Miriam Zilles, Pixabay

Then he [Jesus] 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).

1. Daily, I take up my cross,
While praying:
“Jesus,
Thank you for your gift of faith.”

2. Next, I kiss it tenderly,
While saying:
“Jesus,
May I spread your love and grace.”

3. Then I put it on with joy,
While asking:
“Jesus,
Keep me on your narrow way”,

4. For my cross tells others
I’m a Christian,
Trying hard
To follow him each day.

 

References

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

2. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love (Galatians 5:6; NIV).

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

3. Always be full of joy in the Lord (Philippians 4:4; NLT).

Small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it (Matthew 7:14; NIV).

4. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said (Matthew 4:19; NIV).

Start afresh

Ruth Kirk

Image: Marc Torfs, Pixabay

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

1. Lord,
I want to follow you,
So may I start afresh today
By turning from my selfish ways,
And taking up my cross.

2. Lord,
I want to follow you,
So may I start afresh today
By spreading patience, joy, and love,
Whilst welcoming each loss.

3. Lord,
I want to follow you,
So may I start afresh today
By thanking you for all you send,
And praying without cease.

4. Lord,
I want to follow you,
So may I start afresh today
By seeing you in everyone,
And living in your peace.

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past
(Isaiah 43:18; NIV).

 

References

1. 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).

2. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-3; NRSV).

The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord! (Job 1:21; NLT).

Always rejoice (1 Thessalonians 5:16; NIV).

I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake (2 Corinthians 12:10; NLT).

3. Give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18; NIV).

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

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

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

Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone (Romans 12:18; NLT).

Start afresh

Ruth Kirk


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

1. Lord,
I want to follow you,
So may I start afresh today
By turning from my selfish ways,
And taking up my cross.

2. Lord,
I want to follow you,
So may I start afresh today
By spreading patience, joy, and love,
Whilst welcoming each loss.

3. Lord,
I want to follow you,
So may I start afresh today
By thanking you for all you send
And praying without cease.

4. Lord,
I want to follow you,
So may I start afresh today
By seeing you in everyone,
And living in your peace.

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past
(Isaiah 43:18; NIV).

References

1. 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).

2. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-3; NRSV).

The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord! (Job 1:21; NLT).

Always rejoice (1 Thessalonians 5:16; NIV).

I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake (2 Corinthians 12:10; NKJV).

3. Give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18; NIV).

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

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

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

Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone (Romans 12:18; NLT).

One star

Ruth Kirk

Image: VisionPic.net, Pexels

And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was (Matthew 2:9; NLT).

1. One star, so bright;
One birth, one light.

2. One Son, so dear;
One truth, so clear.

3. One path, so short;
One gospel taught.

4. One Man, so brave;
One Lord, our slave.

5. One night, so dark;
One fear, so stark.

6. One hope, so small;
One cup of gall.

7. One life, so hard;
One flesh, so scarred.

8. One cross, so high;
One final cry.

9. One tomb, so cold;
One flash of gold!

10. One God, so good;
One path of love.

Image: Viola, Pixabay

References

1. While they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling-cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn (Luke 2:6-7; RSV).

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

2. This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him (Mark 9:7; NLT).

3. I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me (John 14:6; NLT).

4. Whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else (Mark 10:44; NLT).

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

6. 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).

7. The gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life (Matthew 7:14; RSV).

He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip (Mark 15:15; NLT).

8. Then the soldiers nailed him to the cross (Mark 15:24; NLT).

About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46; NIV).

And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, he said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last (Luke 23:46; NKJV).

9. He took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in a long sheet of linen cloth and laid it in a new tomb that had been carved out of rock (Luke 23:53; NLT).

Very early on the Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes (Luke 24:1-4; NLT).

10. The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! (Deuteronomy 6:4; NASB).

Only God is truly good (Luke 18:19; NLT).

Follow the way of love (1 Corinthians 14:1; NIV).

Love is the fulfilment of the law (Romans 13:10; NIV).

Oneness

Ruth Kirk

Image: congerdesign, Pixabay

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).

Lord,

1. May I be one mind with you,
And share in all your joys and tears.

2. May I be one heart with you,
And share the way you faced your fears.

3. May I be one soul with you,
And share in all your pain and loss.

4. May I be one flesh with you,
And share your death upon the cross.

References

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

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15; NKJV).

2. I will give them one heart (Jeremiah 32:39; NLT).

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).

3. The person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him (1 Corinthians 6:17; NLT).

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

4. Because God’s children are human beings – made of flesh and blood – the Son also became flesh and blood (Hebrews 2:14; NLT).

Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus (2 Corinthians 4:10; NLT).

Sharing

Ruth Kirk

Image: Simon Matzinger, Pixabay

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

1. When my heart is broken,
You, Lord, share my tears.

2. When I’m apprehensive,
You share all my fears.

3. When I suffer hardship,
You, Lord, share my loss;

4. And, when I am dying,
You will share my cross.

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

God is the fire

Ruth Kirk

Image: Francisco de Zurbarán, Yandex

1. God is the fire
That blazes in darkness.
God is the lamp
That lights up the way.

2. God is the voice
That whispers in silence.
God is the truth
That goes out each day.

3. God is the peace
That settles in stillness.
God is the friend
That shares every loss.

4. God is the hope
That lives on forever.
God is the love
That died on the cross.

References

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

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

2. After the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:12; NLT).

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

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

You are my friends (John 15:15; NLT).

4. You are my hope, O Lord God (Psalm 71:5; NKJV).

God is love (1 John 4:16; NIV).

Have faith

Ruth Kirk

Come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28; NLT).

1. Turn to Christ for healing;
Cry out, for he is near.
Have faith that he will help you
When you suffer pain and fear.

2. Ask him to forgive you,
Confessing every sin,
And trust that he will help you
While you try to change within.

3. Bear your cross, and follow;
Let Jesus share your load.
Rely on him to help you
As you walk his narrow road.

References

1. If you are willing, you can heal me (Luke 5:12; NLT).

He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering” (Mark 5:34; NIV).

2. Forgive us our sins (Luke 11:4; NLT).

Trust in God (John 14:1; NLT).

3. Take up your cross and follow me (Matthew 16:24; NLT).

Small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life (Matthew 7:13-14; NIV).