oneness – A spiritual diary

23.11.23: One with Christ

November 23, 2023Ruth Kirk

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).

May we be one with Christ
In prayer:
Joining with him
In peace and love.

May we be one with Christ
In all:
Seeing his face
In friend and foe.

May we be one with Christ
In joy:
Praising with those
In heaven above.

May we be one with Christ
In grief:
Yielding with him
On earth below.

Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done” (Matthew 26:36-9, 42; NLT).

References

I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one – as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me (John 17:21-3; NLT).

You are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28; NLT).

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

Your immortal spirit is in every one of them (Wisdom of Solomon 12:1; GNTA).

Love your neighbour as yourself (Leviticus 19:18; NLT).

Love your enemies (Matthew 5:44; NLT).

I heard what sounded like a vast crowd in heaven shouting, “Praise the LORD! (Revelation 19:1; NLT).

He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38; NLT).

5.11.23: Filled with prayer

November 5, 2023November 5, 2023Ruth Kirk

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; NIV).

Lord,
May my exile here
Be filled with prayer,
And all my days on earth
Be shaped by love.

Lord,
May my pathway here
Be lit by joy,
Guiding me step by step
To heaven above.

Lord,
May my thinking here
Be formed by peace,
And all my words and deeds
Framed by your law.

Lord,
May my journey here
Be made with thanks,
Then I’ll be one with you
For evermore.

Yes, 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).

19.10.23: Wait for God (for J.)

October 19, 2023October 19, 2023Ruth Kirk

I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning (Psalm 130:6; NIV).

1. Throughout the silent watches
Of the night,
Just wait for God alone,
For He is near.

2. No need to say a word –
He knows them all.
Just wait with God alone,
For He is here.

3. Our Father lives in you,
And you, in Him,
So wait in God alone,
Just wait, and share

4. The darkness, dryness, silence –
All is well:
Together, you are one,
And this is prayer.

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

References

Verse 1:

I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night. Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings (Psalm 63:6-7; CSB).

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD (Psalm 27:14; NIV).

The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart (Psalm 34:18; NKJV).

Verse 2:

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

The LORD is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it! (Genesis 28:16; NLT).

I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! (Psalm 139:7; NLT).

Verse 3:

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

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done (Philippians 4:6; NLT).

Verse 4:

If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the LORD and rely on your God (Isaiah 50:10; NLT).

Moses approached the thick darkness where God was (Exodus 20:21; NIV).

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water (Psalm 63:1; NIV).

The LORD is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him (Habakkuk 2:20; NLT).

Be silent before the LORD, all humanity (Zechariah 2:13; NLT).

We are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people” (2 Corinthians 6:16; NLT).

All is well (1 Kings 5:4; NLT).

18.10.23: Your stars will still be there

October 18, 2023October 18, 2023Ruth Kirk

Today’s blog is about having to stop praying in order to write down whatever I’m being given.

By the LORD’s decree the heavens were made; by a mere word from his mouth all the stars in the sky were created.
(Psalm 33:6; NLT).

Your stars will still be there, Lord,
After writing.
Your sun will still be there
Next time I pray.
Your moon will still be shining
In the darkness;
Your planets, Lord, still singing,
Night and day.

Your stars will still be forming,
Living, dying:
Constantly recycled,
Ever new,
And I’ll still be amongst them,
Praising, sighing:
Praying as before, Lord,
One with you.

So, may this thought
Become my consolation
Whenever I stop praying, Lord,
To write,
For, here on earth,
No matter what I’m doing,
I walk with you, Lord,
Always in your light.

Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”
(John 8:12; NLT).

Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of your presence, LORD,
(Psalm 89:15; NLT).

6.10.23: Christ is love

October 6, 2023Ruth Kirk

To my delight I had plenty of time to pray yesterday morning, having woken early, and already posted the day’s blog. However, today’s verses started to arrive within minutes, and I couldn’t resist discovering what they were going to say.

Interestingly, this blog didn’t come out at all as I had expected. Even more amazing: I accidentally erased the penultimate line, which I knew said exactly what it needed to say. Sadly, I could neither remember nor reconstruct it, but a few minutes later God gave it back to me, for which I was deeply grateful.

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28; NIV).

There’s neither you nor I:
There’s only love.
There’s neither me nor them:
There’s only us.

There is no place for judgement
Or dislike,
Discrimination, hatred,
Or distrust.

There’s neither priest nor people:
Only prayer.
There is no church:
Just Jesus, and his call.

There is no male or female:
We are one;
No living and no dead,
For Christ is all.

There is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all (Colossians 3:11; NIV).

References

I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us (Philippians 3:14; NLT).

I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one (John 17:22; NLT).

We, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another (Romans 12:5; RSV).

He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive (Luke 20:38; NIV).

We have passed from death to life, because we love each other (1 John 3:14; NIV).

14.9.23: I seek you

September 14, 2023September 14, 2023Ruth Kirk

Yesterday I prayed in silence, seeking God. However, I saw nothing, experienced nothing, and felt both sad, and a failure.

Then, today’s prayer came to me, and I saw where I was going wrong. God is always with us. Believing that He is present is far more important than whether or not we experience His presence. As Jesus said to Thomas: “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe” (John 20:29; RSV).

I suspect that our faith is far more precious to God than our enjoyment of the spiritual experiences He sends. Anyway, following these reflections, here is today’s prayer:

In the morning I earnestly seek for God (Isaiah 26:9; NLT).

I seek you, Lord,
But you’re already near.
I thirst for you,
Yet you’re already here.

Then, I see clearly:
Father, you’re my soul
Which nothing can take away –
With you, I’m whole.

Lord, I believe and trust in you
Each day,
So I’ll rejoice, give thanks,
And try to pray.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; NIV).

Notes

The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7; KJV).

You were made from dust, and to dust you will return (Genesis 3:19; NLT).

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

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 nor our worries about tomorrow – not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love (Romans 8:38; NLT).

20.8.23: A dedication (#2 of 2)

August 20, 2023Ruth Kirk

Today’s blog is the group version of, “A dedication (#1 of 2)”, which I posted on the 13th of August. If you would like to check out that earlier, individual prayer, here is a link:
https://wp.me/p45bCr-eSN.

May your kingdom come.
(Luke 11:2; GNT).

Father,
May your kingdom come
In every life,
To make us one.

Jesus,
May your will be done
In every mind,
Till we are one.

Spirit,
May your pity dwell
In every heart:
Please make us one.

Yahweh,
May your mercy reign
In every soul,
Then we’ll be one.

Saviour,
May your kingdom come
Throughout this world:
Your will be done.

May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
(Matthew 6:10; NLT).

13.8.23: A dedication (#1 of 2)

August 13, 2023August 13, 2023Ruth Kirk

Today’s prayer arrived last Friday morning. As I worked to put it into words, it divided into two: one version for personal use, and one for groups. Here is the personal version, which came first. I plan to post the second in a week’s time, God willing.

May your kingdom come.
(Luke 11:2; GNT).

The kingdom of God is within you.
(Luke 17:21; NKJV).

Father,
May your kingdom come
Within my body:
Make us one.

Jesus,
May your will be done
Within my mind,
Till we are one.

Spirit,
May your kingdom come
Within my heart,
So we’ll be one.

Three-fold God,
Your will be done
Within my soul,
Then we’ll be one.

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

4.8.23: Love

August 4, 2023August 4, 2023Ruth Kirk

This prayer came to me a while ago, but it was only whilst laying awake with a migraine a few days ago that I was finally able to set it out in a way that felt right. Even then, there were still a few tiny changes that needed to be made today, just a seconds before posting!

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

I dare to love you, Lord, my God;
I dare to love your Son;
I dare to love your Spirit:
For you live in me, as one.

I know you love me, Father,
For you sent your only Son
To fill me with your Spirit:
So that we can live as one.

I want to live within you,
And to follow your dear Son,
Relying on your Spirit, Lord:
And loving you, as one.

To love means living to the full
By serving like your Son,
And praying in your Spirit, Lord:
For then we will be one.

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion.
(Ephesians 6:18; NLT).

We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.
(1 John 4:16; NLT).