Category: kindness

4.10.23: Tricked

Ruth Kirk
geralt: Pixabay.

Early yesterday morning, as I sleepily finished saying the Lord’s Prayer and began to pray for the people who scammed us last week, the first four lines and the shape of today’s poem struck me very forcefully.

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 7:21-23; NLT). 

It’s better to be tricked
Than to trick others.
It’s better to be hated
Than to hate.
It’s better, Lord, to suffer
Than to lie, and cheat, and steal,
But better still to feel ashamed –
Before it’s far too late.

It’s better to be kind
Than to be angry.
It’s better to be patient
Than to rage.
It’s better to be martyred
Than to harm, abuse, or kill,
But best of all is to repent –
For You, alone, can save.

Our God is a God who saves! The Sovereign LORD rescues us from death (Psalm 68:20; NLT).

References 

Verse 1

If your hand – even your stronger hand – causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell (Matthew 5:30; N,T).

Abraham said to him, “Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there” (Luke 16:25-6; NLT).

Verse 2

Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law (Romans 13:10; 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).

From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17; NLT).

Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins (Acts 2:38; NLT).

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15; NLT).

There is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away! (Luke 15:7; NLT).

22.9.23: Love God

Ruth Kirk
dodo71: Pixabay.

When I woke up yesterday morning I was warm and comfortable. It was easy to pray without words, expecting nothing. Then, to my surprise, these verses began to arrive.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.
Mark 12:30; CSB.

1. To love God
Is to seek him;
To seek him
Is to find;
To find him
Is to worship,
To serve,
And to be kind.

2. To love God
Is to hear him;
To hear him
Is to give;
To give
Is to love everyone,
To grow like Christ,
And live.

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 10:10; NIV.

References 

Verse 1

Love the LORD your God, walk in all his ways, obey his commands, hold firmly to him, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul (Deuteronomy 10:12; NLT).

The LORD will stay with you as long as you stay with him! Whenever you seek him, you will find him (2 Chronicles 15:2; NLT).

Serve only the LORD your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him (Deuteronomy 13:4; NLT).

Verse 2

Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left (Isaiah 30:21; NLT).

Freely you have received; freely give (Matthew 10:8; NIV).

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

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

This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ (Ephesians 4:13; NLT).

Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life (Deuteronomy 30:19-20; NLT, my emphasis). 

4.9.23: Stay close

Ruth Kirk
geralt: Pixabay.

I’m feeling physically and mentally very worn after my hospital trip, but am resting patiently in the hope that this will improve, God willing. To my great surprise, a prayer still came to me yesterday morning, though putting it into words proved really difficult.

My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me (Psalm 63:8; BSB). 

Lord, stay close to me today,
And keep me close to you.
May everything I do be kind
And all my words be true. 

Please stay close to me today,
And keep me by your side.
May all my thoughts be free from sin
Like yours, my Way and Guide. 

Lord, stay close to me today,
And keep me always near.
May I rejoice, give thanks, and pray
In sorrow, pain and fear. 

Please stay close to me today,
And keep me in your hands.
May I obey, as you did, Lord,
And serve as God commands.

Serve only the LORD your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him (Deuteronomy 13:4; NLT).

25.8.23. The temple

Ruth Kirk
jplenio: Pixabay.

This prayer arrived yesterday during silent contemplation of Jesus’ name. I saw that I would like to be a constant, open channel for the Holy Spirit to act through on earth. However, this would be a very tall order, given all my physical, mental and spiritual limitations.

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? (1 Corinthians 6:19; NLT). 

I long to be the temple
Of your Spirit,
Living in your joy, and peace,
And light;
Dwelling in your mercy, love,
And patience;
Staying in your presence
Day and night. 

I yearn to be the dwelling
Of your Spirit,
Praying through your wordless sighs
With trust;
Resting in your pity, strength,
And power:
One with you, my Lord,
Though I am dust. 

I am only dust and ashes (Genesis 18:27; NAB). 

16.6.23: Peace and justice

Ruth Kirk
fjaka, Pixabay.

This blog came directly out of my personal, spoken prayers yesterday:

If only you had paid attention to my commandments! Your peace would have been like a river, and your justice would have been like the waves of the sea (Isaiah 48:18; CPDV). 

I pray for peace and justice, Lord,
Throughout this troubled world,
That everyone will listen,
And your voice, alone, be heard.

I ask for deep repentance, Lord,
Throughout this troubled world,
That every heart will turn to you,
And every conscience stir.

I beg for care and kindness, Lord,
Throughout this troubled world,
That selfishness will be renounced,
And sharing be preferred.

I plead for hope and healing, Lord,
In every human soul,
That all will learn to live in love,
For then we will be whole.

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

16.5.23: More like you

Ruth Kirk
Image by Marcel Dominic from Pixabay.

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). 

Lord,
Please make me more like you.
Consume my sins, my heart, renew,
Then I’ll show love in all I do,
And light the way for others, too.

Lord,
Please make me more like you,
So all I say is kind and true.
My judgements, fears and greed, subdue,
Until I’m perfect, through and through.

You are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48; NLT).

References

Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven (Luke 6:37; NIV).

This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ (Ephesians 4:13; 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).

The Rosary Hospital

A batch of fiat rosaries, made with a combination of new and recycled parts.

6.5.23: Pray for all people

Ruth Kirk
Image by Jacek from Pixabay.

This prayer came to me yesterday morning, and proved surprisingly difficult to put into words:

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them (1 Timothy 2:1; NLT).

Lord,
I pray for joy and peace
In every mind, and heart, and soul,
But if that’s far too much to ask,
Please help us all to grow in self-control.

Lord,
I pray for friendliness
In every soul, and mind, and heart,
But if that’s far too much to ask,
May tolerance become our place to start.

Lord,
I pray for love of all
In every heart, and soul, and mind,
But if that’s far too much to ask,
Please teach us to be humble, wise, and kind.

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).

References

Pray for peace (Psalm 122:6; NLT).

Make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone (2 Peter 1:5-7; NLT).

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

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:1-3; NASB95).

4.4.23: You hear each word

Ruth Kirk

Yesterday, when I woke in the middle of the night, the first verse of today’s blog came straight into my mind. I knew I had to write it down, before I forgot it. Then the second verse arrived, line by line, until the prayer was finished, and I fell asleep again.

In the morning I remembered what had happened, but retained no memory of what I’d written. Full of curiosity, I opened my iPad to find out. It needed very little editing to make it work:

LORD, you know my heart. You see me and test my thoughts (Jeremiah 12:3; NLT).

Lord,

You hear each word I say,
And see the thoughts within my mind,
You know the feelings in my heart –
Our souls are intertwined.

You know the secrets in my past,
And all the wrongs I’ve ever done,
And yet, you love me as I am –
And want us to be one.

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

References 

I know every thought that comes into your minds (Ezekiel 11:5; NLT).

Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely (Psalm 139:4; NIV).

He knows the secrets of every heart (Psalm 44:21; NLT).

The LORD’s light penetrates the human spirit, exposing every hidden motive (Proverbs 20:27; NLT).

30.3.23: Inside and outside

Ruth Kirk
The Good Shepherd 19th-century stained glass in the church of St Mary & St Giles in memory of John William Spark, curate of the church. James Yardley.

I’m lying awake with a migraine, which gives me an excellent opportunity to publish today’s blog:

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

Inside and outside,
Above and below,
Jesus is with us
Wherever we go.

On our left, on our right,
Up ahead, close behind,
Jesus is present,
And he is so kind.

Longing to help us
Find all that we seek,
Jesus is ready
To strengthen the weak.

Guiding us all with his light
And his crook:
Jesus is with us –
If only we look.

If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me (Jeremiah 29:13; NLT).

References

Be sure of this: I am with you always (Matthew 28:20; NLT).

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12; NIV). 

Yea, 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).

16.3.23: Be with me

Ruth Kirk

I’m struggling with depression, fatigue and headaches at present, which makes writing harder. So today I’ve chosen a simple prayer I received a little while ago:

We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5; NIV).

Be with me, Lord,
In all my thoughts,
Then you and I
Will share one mind.

Be with me, please,
In all I do,
Then my behaviour
Will be kind.

Be with me, Lord,
In all I say,
Then I will grow like you,
God’s Son.

Be with me:
Make my soul your home,
Then we will always live
As one.

God has united you with Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:30; NLT).