Category: life

You are the potter

Ruth Kirk

We are the clay, and you are the potter.
We all are formed by your hand
(Isaiah 64:8; NLT). 

You are the potter,
I, the clay.
You are my life, my truth,
My way;

My flesh, my mind,
My heart, my soul:
You are the One
Who makes me whole.

You are my breath,
My hope, my end:
My Shepherd King;
My steadfast Friend.

You are my crook,
My staff, my rod;
My light, my fire,
My peace: my God.

Yet we are one,
Our love, complete:
I lay my spirit
At your feet.

❤️

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

Through prayer

Ruth Kirk

Draw near to God
and he will draw near to you
(James 4:8; NKJV).

Through prayer,
I absorb you, Lord,
Into my bones,

My mind,
And my heart,
And my soul.

Through prayer,
I am also absorbed
Into you –

My Maker,
My life,
And my goal.


Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them (1 John 4:16; NIV).

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

Lord (#2 of 2 linked poems)

Ruth Kirk

Come to me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28-9; NKJV).

Lord,
You are our wayside shrine,

Our sanctuary,
Our bread, our wine;

Our rest, our strength,
Our life, our breath,

Our resurrection,
after death.

Jesus told her,
“I am the resurrection and the life.
Anyone who believes in me will live,
Even after dying” (John 11:25; NKJV).

You love me x

Ruth Kirk

We love him,
because he first loved us
(1 John 4:19; KJV).

Lord,

1. You love me, and I love you –
Every word you speak is true.

2. You’re with me, and I’m with you –
In all I feel, think, say, and do.

3. You dwell in me, and I in you –
Timeless, changeless, ever new.

4. I live through you, and you through me –
Your only Son has set me free.

5. I am yours, and you are mine –
In life, in death, and for all time.

6. I’m one with you, and you with me –
Together, for eternity.

References

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

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

2. The Lord is always with me (Psalm 16:8; NLT).

I am always with you (Psalm 73:23; NIV)

3. He that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him (1 John 4:16; AKJV).

4. There is one […] God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all (Ephesians 4:5; NLT).

God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him (1 John 4:9; ESV).

5. I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine (Song of Songs 6:3; NLT).

6. God is love. If we keep on loving others, we will stay one in our hearts with God, and he will stay one with us (1 John 4:16; CEV).

We come from you

Ruth Kirk

Image: Denis Doukhan, Pixabay

🧡

Almighty God,

We come from you,
The One who gives us life,
And breath,

Until we reunite with you,
For evermore,
Beyond our death.

🧡

References

All things come from you (1 Chronicles 29:14; NKJV).

I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5; NLT).

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

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

Thank you, Lord

Ruth Kirk

Image: Isaín Calderón: Pixabay

✝️

1. Always praying,
Always saying:
Thank you, Lord,
For all you send.

2. Always praising –
You’re amazing:
Thank you, Lord,
My dearest friend.

3. Always trusting
And rejoicing:
Thank you, Lord,
For every breath.

4. Always caring,
And declaring:
Thank you, Lord,
For life, and death.

✝️

References

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

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18; NIV).

Should we accept only good things from the hand of God, and never anything bad? (Job 2:10; NLT).

2. You have been with me from birth; from my mother’s womb you have cared for me. No wonder I am always praising you! (Psalm 71:6; NLT).

How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! (Psalm 111:2; NLT).

You are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me (John 15:15; NLT).

Our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God (Romans 5:11; NLT).

3. Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock (Isaiah 26:4; NLT).

Rejoice always (1 Thessalonians 5:16; NIV).

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

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

Do everything with love (1 Corinthians 16:14; NLT).

Always be humble and gentle (Ephesians 4:2; NLT).

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

The Lord gives both death and life (1 Samuel 2:6; NLT).

You give us a lifetime

Ruth Kirk

Image: Dreampic123, Pixabay

💚

I will be your God throughout your lifetime
(Isaiah 46:4; NLT).

1. You give us a lifetime
To practice your presence;
A lifetime to ask
Your forgiveness, Lord, too.

2. You give us a lifetime
To care about others;
A lifetime to grow,
And become more like you.

3. You give us a lifetime
To bear our cross gladly;
A lifetime to follow
Your steep, narrow way.

4. You give us a lifetime
To thank you for all, Lord;
A lifetime to love you,
Cling tight, hope, and pray.

References

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

Perhaps even yet they will turn from their evil ways and ask the Lord’s forgiveness before it is too late (Jeremiah 36:7; NLT).

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

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

3. 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).

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

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

You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind (Luke 10:27; NLT).

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

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence (Jeremiah 17:7; NLT).

Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17; NKJV).

Dedication

Ruth Kirk

Image: Lukáš Jančička, Pixabay

✚

1. I dedicate this day to you,
One moment at a time,
For I am yours in heart and soul,
And you, Lord God, are mine.

2. I dedicate this day to you,
Despite my sins and flaws,
For you are mine in joy and pain,
And I, Lord God, am yours.

3. I dedicate this day to you,
My way, my inner shrine,
For I am yours in life and death,
And you, Lord God, are mine.

4. I dedicate this day to you,
I’ll stand up for your cause,
For you are mine eternally,
And I, Lord God, am yours.

✚

References

1. My beloved is mine and I am his (Song of Songs 2:16; NIV).

2. When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other (Ecclesiastes 7:14; NIV).

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised (Job 1:21; NIV).

3. I am the way (John 14:6; NLT).

We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain (Hebrews 6:19; RSV).

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

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

4. You will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them (Mark 13:9; RSV).

Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows (Isaiah 1:17; NLT).