✝️
These mean voices
In my mind, Lord,
Date back
To my anxious childhood.
These rough put-downs
In my heart
Began, Lord,
In my painful youth.
These harsh judgements
In my soul:
I heard them
From my damaged parents.
Heal their spirits,
And these voices,
With your love, and peace,
And truth.
✝️
The Lord is always with me.
(Psalm 16:8; NLT).
Jesus,
You are always with me:
Lord, may I remain in you,
Then you’ll share this fragile body,
And I’ll find my strength in you.
Jesus,
You are always with me:
Lord, may I confide in you,
Then you’ll heal my foolish judgements,
And I’ll grow much more like you.
Jesus,
You are always with me:
Lord, may I hold fast to you,
Then you’ll light my inner darkness,
And I’ll safely follow you.
Jesus,
You are always with me:
Lord, may I love all, like you,
Then we’ll live as one, forever,
You in me, and I in you.
💛
The person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.
(1 Corinthians 6:17; NLT).
You are in me, and I am in you.
(John 14:20; NIV).
They will see his face
(Revelation 22:4; NLT).
Nothing can prepare us, Lord,
For when we see your face:
Shining like the sun with love,
With mercy, truth, and grace.
Nothing can prepare us, Lord,
For when we meet your eyes,
Which blaze with your consuming fire:
All-seeing; holy; wise.
Nothing can prepare us, Lord,
For when we hear your voice
Declaring judgement on our lives:
Each fault; each sin; each choice.
💙
We must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body
(2 Corinthians 5:10; NLT).
They chose to rebel against him, and they were finally destroyed by their sin (Psalm 106:43; NLT).
Live a life filled with love,
following the example of Christ
(Ephesians 5:2; NLT).
My Lord, my God, my Brother,
May I grow more like you,
By treating my emotions with acceptance,
And with care.
My Lord, my God, my Teacher,
May I grow more like you,
By mending each judgemental thought
Immediately, in prayer.
My Lord, my God, my Shepherd,
May I grow more like you,
By speaking kindly, making sure
That all I say is true.
My Lord, my God, my Saviour,
May I grow more like you,
By doing everything with love –
Then I’ll be more like you.
Do everything with love
(1 Corinthians 16:14; 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).
From within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you
(Mark 7:20-23; NLT).
My hands are soiled.
My tongue has lied.
My feet have followed
Foolish ways.
My heart is cold;
My judgments, harsh.
My thoughts betray you
All my days.
My faith is weak.
My hope has gone.
My love for you, and all,
Falls short.
Lord, rescue me!
Forgive my sins,
And lead me on
The way you taught.
Follow the way of love
(1 Corinthians 14:1; NIV).
You deserve to be punished. But I will treat you in a way that will bring honour to my name, and you will know that I am the Lord God
(Ezekiel 20:44; CEV).
Despite my pride
And ignorance,
Despite my envy, Lord;
Despite my greed
And foolishness,
Despite my judgements, Lord;
Despite my hate
And selfishness,
Despite my anger, Lord;
Despite my guilt
And sinfulness:
You love me.
He loves us with unfailing love
(Psalm 117:2; NLT).
I have suffered from Chronic Fatigue since 2005. This means that my energy is always very limited. Exhaustion often forces me to rest, regardless of what I want, or need, to do.
Until today, I have always understood ‘rest’ as time spent sitting down, or being in bed.
However, to my astonishment, God has now shown me that rest can also be a state of mind, and even a way of life.
With this approach, whether or not I am active, living restfully means noticing my sensations, thoughts, and emotions as they occur, acknowledging their reality without judgement, then sharing them simply and honestly with God.
Hopefully, this process will teach me how I need to change in order to live more restfully, so I can be at peace with myself, with God, with others, and the world.
References
My soul finds rest in God (Palm 62:1; NIV).
“Only God can turn the dark night into glorious heavenly light”
(Alan Kearns).
Lord,
1. Turn our anguish
Into peace;
Our darkness
Into dazzling light.
2. Turn our sorrow
Into joy;
Our blindness
Into perfect sight.
3. Turn our judgements
Into love;
Our sickness
Into welcome rest,
4. And turn our dying
Into life eternal,
When we’ve faced
Each test.
References
1. Lord, see my anguish! My heart is broken and my soul despairs (Lamentations 1:20; NLT).
The Lord turns my darkness into light (2 Samuel 22:29; NIV).
2. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me – now let me rejoice (Psalm 51:8; NLT).
The Lord gives sight to the blind (Psalm 146:8; NIV).
3. Do not judge others, and you will not be judged (Luke 6:37; NLT).
Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them (Romans 12:9; NLT).
The Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said: “You will be delivered by returning and resting; your strength will lie in quiet confidence” (Isaiah 30:15; CSB).
4. Our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies (1 Corinthians 15:53; NLT).
Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying” (John 11:25; NLT).
The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul (Deuteronomy 13:3; NIV).
Image: Gamopy, Pixabay
🤎
No one knows when their hour will come
(Ecclesiastes 9:12; NIV).
1. Lord,
When we die,
You call us home,
Whether or not we think
Our work is done –
For, long, or short,
Our exile is complete,
The moment you decide
Our end has come.
2. Lord,
When we die,
You take us back,
Whether or not we think
The time is right –
For, good, or bad,
Our record is complete,
The moment we face judgement
In your sight.
3. Lord,
When we die,
You claim our souls,
Whether or not we’ve tried
To do our best –
For, rough or smooth,
Our journey is complete,
The moment you conclude
Our earthly test.
🤎
References
1. Soon I must go down that road from which I never will return (Job 16:22; NLT).
2. The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7; NIV).
3. The Lord gives both death and life (1 Samuel 2:6; NLT).
Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows (John 16:33; NLT).
The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul (Deuteronomy 13:3; NIV).
Image: annaost29, Pixabay
Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires
(James 1:20; NLT).
1. Anger is so dangerous:
It makes me think I should proceed
To voice my hasty judgements,
Though I crush the weakest reed.
2. Anger is so damaging:
It makes me feel I have a right
To vent my heedless blame,
Though I put out a dying light.
3. Help me, Lord, to curb my tongue,
My rash assumptions, too,
Then I’ll treat everyone with love,
And grow much more like you.
References
1. Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: you must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires (James 1:19-20; NLT).
Do not judge others, and you will not be judged (Luke 6:37; NLT).
He will not crush the weakest reed (Matthew 12:20; NLT).
2. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you (Luke 6:37; NLT).
He will not […] put out a flickering candle (Matthew 12:20, NLT).
3. If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless (James 1:26; NLT).
Fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions (Ecclesiastes 10:13; NLT).
We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5; NIV).
Love your neighbour as yourself (Matthew 22:39; NLT).
Do everything with love (1 Corinthians 16:14; 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).