Category: joy

Follow Christ

Ruth Kirk

1. Lord,
Give us love for everyone,
And patience, each new day,
And faithfulness, so we may follow Christ,
Who is the Way.

2. Lord,
Give us joy, whatever comes,
And kindness, from our youth,
And gentleness, so we may follow Christ,
Who is the Truth.

3. Lord,
Give us peace within our hearts,
And goodness, free from strife,
And self-control, so we may follow Christ,
Who is the Life.

4. Lord,
Pour your Spirit on us all,
So we bear fruit, like Christ,
For then we will grow more like him,
The perfect sacrifice.

References

1. Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them (Romans 12.9; 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).

Follow me and be my disciple (Matthew 9:9; NLT).

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

4. I will pour out my Spirit upon all people (Joel 2:28; NLT).

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

By the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins (Hebrews 9:14; NLT).

Around me and within

Ruth Kirk

1. Lord,
You are around me
And within,
Releasing me from sorrow,
And from sin;

2. Healing me
In body, heart and mind,
And saving my poor soul,
For you are kind.

3. Lord,
You are within me
And around,
Suffusing me with joy
Through sight and sound;

4. So I worship you, Lord,
And extoll
Your love, in heaven on earth,
And in my soul.

References

1. You, Lord, are a shield around me (Psalm 3:3; NLT).

You have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you (1 John 2:27; NLT).

2. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies (Psalm 103:2-4; NLT).

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

3. I will bring them to my holy mountain of Jerusalem and will fill them with joy in my house of prayer (Isaiah 56:7; NLT).

4. I worship the Lord (Jonah 1:9; NLT).

The sacred arts

Ruth Kirk

Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples (Luke 11:1; NLT).

1. Teach us, Lord, to pray like you,
Who walked on Jordan’s banks,
So we can practice constantly
The sacred art of thanks.

2. Guide us all to pray like you,
Who saved all those who strayed,
So we can practice constantly
The sacred art of praise.

3. Show us how to pray like you,
Who raised the lifeless boy,
So we can practice constantly
The sacred art of joy.

4. Help us, Lord, to pray like you,
Who gave your flesh and blood,
So we can practice constantly
The sacred art of love.

References

1. Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people
(John 6:11; NLT).

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

2. Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth” (Matthew 11:25; NIV).

O God, we […] constantly praise your name (Psalm 44:8; NLT).

3. Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit (Luke 10:21; NLT).

Rejoice always (1 Thessalonians 5:17; NIV).

4. Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’” (Matthew 22:37-39; NLT).

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

Letting go

Ruth Kirk

When you were young, you were able to do as you liked;
you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go.
But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands,
and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.
(John 21:18; NLT).

1. Lord, as I get older,
I find I must let go
Of all I take for granted,
But, instead, you make me grow.

2. I’ve had to let my looks go,
My vanity and pride;
My status and my ego,
But, instead, you are my guide.

3. I’ve had to let my strength go,
My energy and health;
My work and independence,
But, instead, you give me help.

4. I’ve had to let my past go,
My childhood, my abuse;
My bitterness and hatred,
But, instead, you teach me truth.

5. And I will have to give up more:
My body, life, and breath;
But I will gladly let them go,
To merge with you, in death.

References

1. Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong (Ephesians 3:17; NLT).

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

2. He is our God forever and ever, and he will guide us until we die (Psalm 48:14; NLT).

3. My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth (Psalm 121:2; NLT).

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

Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth (Psalm 86:11; NLT).

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

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

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

Together

Ruth Kirk

I love you,
And you love me,
Together, Lord,
We’re strong and free.

You in me,
And I in you,
Together, Lord,
In all we do.

One with you,
And you with me,
Together, Lord,
Eternally.

One in love,
And joy, and pain,
Together, Lord,
We will remain.

References

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

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

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

The Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6; NIV).

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

Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love (Romans 8:38; NLT).