save – Seeking God's face together

I praise you

April 20, 2021Ruth Kirk

Image: geralt, Pixabay

✚

1. I praise you, Lord,
For you are great:
So holy, strong,
Supreme.

2. I bless you, Lord,
For you are kind:
You rescue, save,
Redeem.

3. I thank you, Lord,
For you are wise:
So gentle, just,
And good.

4. I bow down low
To worship you, my God:
For you
Are Love.

✚

References

1. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 150:1; NLT).

God is great! (Psalm 70:4; NLT).

The Lord our God is holy (Psalm 99:9; NLT).

The Lord is glorious and strong (1 Chronicles 16:28; NLT).

The Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below (Joshua 2:11; NLT).

2. Let the whole world bless our God (Psalm 66:8; NLT).

How kind the Lord is

He rescues me (Psalm 35:9; NLT).

He is my shield, the power that saves me (2 Samuel 22:3; NLT).

He redeems me from death (Psalm 103:4; NLT).

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

We thank you, O God! (Psalm 75:1; NLT).

God is so wise and so mighty (Job 9:4; NLT).

Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart (Matthew 11:29; NLT).

Everything he does is just and fair (Deuteronomy 32:4; NLT).

How good he is! (Psalm 116:5; NLT).

4. Bow down to him alone (2 Kings 17:36; NIV)

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

Jesus died and rose again

April 15, 2021Ruth Kirk

Image: geralt, Pixabay

🧡

1. Jesus died,
And rose again.
He shares in all our fear
And pain.

2. Jesus died,
But now he lives.
He saves us, heals us,
And forgives.

3. Jesus died,
Yet loves us all,
Though he is great,
And we, so small.

4. Jesus died
For everyone:
Our way, our truth, our life:
God’s Son.

🧡

References

1. Christ died and rose again (Romans 14:9; NLT).

In all their suffering he also suffered, and he personally rescued them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through all the years (Isaiah 63:9; NLT).

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Saviour, who daily bears our burdens (Psalm 68:19; NIV).

2. When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God (Romans 6:10; NLT).

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

He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies (Psalm 103:3-4; NLT).

3. All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us (Revelation 1:5; NLT).

He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less (John 3:30; NLT).

4. Jesus died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them (2 Corinthians 5:15; NLT).

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

This is my dearly-loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him! (Matthew 17:5; NLT).

This cross

February 21, 2021Ruth Kirk

Image: Ruth Kirk

🧡

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18; NLT).

1. Lord, this cross is made of fire –
It burns within my hands,
And gives me all the strength I need
To face life’s harsh demands.

2. This little cross is made of light –
It shines on my dark road,
And gives me all the strength I need
To bear my heavy load.

3. This simple cross is made of truth –
It teaches me your way,
And gives me all the strength I need
To follow you each day.

4. This humble cross is made of peace –
It tells me you are near,
And gives me all the strength I need
To face my pain and fear.

5. This precious cross is made of love –
It shows me how you save,
And gives me all the strength I need
To hold fast, and be brave.

I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength
(Philippians 4:13; NLT).

🧡

References

1. God is a raging fire (Deuteronomy 4:24; GW).

With your help I can advance against a troop, with my God I can scale a wall (2 Samuel 22:30; NIV).

2. God is light (1 John 1:5; NIV). 

Then Jesus said, “Come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light” (Matthew 11:28-30; NLT).

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

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).

4. The Lord is peace (Judges 6:24; NLT).

If we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering (Romans 8:17; NLT).

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

It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him (Deuteronomy 13:4; NIV).

Be brave and courageous (Psalm 27:14; NLT).

In my dreams

December 27, 2020Ruth Kirk

Image: cgrape, Pixabay

💚

I long for the Lord (Psalm 130:6; NLT).

1. Lord,
I long to see you
In my dreams –
To join the crowd,
And listen
As you preach.

2. Lord,
I want to meet you
In my dreams –
To sit with you,
And learn
From all you teach.

3. Lord,
I yearn to reach out
In my dreams –
To touch your robe,
And know, at last,
I’m whole.

4. Lord,
I thirst to serve you
In my dreams –
Then wake,
And help you save
Some poor, lost soul.

💚

References

1. The large crowd listened to him with great delight (Mark 12:37; NLT).

2. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught (Luke 10:39; NLT).

3. If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed (Matthew 9:21; NLT).

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

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him (1 Timothy 1:12; NLT).

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all” (Mark 9:35; NIV).

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

Would you?

November 21, 2020Ruth Kirk

Image: Roy N, Pixabay

The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others
and to give his life as a ransom for many
(Mark 10:45; NLT).

1. Would you forgo your hope of rescue,
So a foreigner is saved?

2. Or forswear your dream of freedom,
So a friend is not enslaved?

3. Would you renounce your chance of healing,
So a neighbour is made whole?

4. Or surrender your survival,
Just to save a stranger’s soul?

5. Would you resign your reign above,
So enemies are welcomed in?

6. Or face death by crucifixion,
Bearing many people’s sin?

7. Would you believe the Father’s promise,
Trusting you will rise anew,

8. And then give up your life for others –
Just as Jesus did, for you?

References

1. Show love to foreigners (Deuteronomy 10:19; NLT).

2. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (John 15:13; NLT).

3. Love your neighbour as yourself (Luke 10:27; NLT).

4. Love the stranger (Deuteronomy 10:19; NKJV).

He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole (Isaiah 53:5; RSV).

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

5. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being (Philippians 2:6-7; NLT).

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

6. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross (Philippians 2:7-8; NLT).

He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness (1 Peter 2:24; NIV).

7. Those who die in the Lord will live; their bodies will rise again! (Isaiah 26:19; NLT).

I trust in God (Psalm 56:11; NLT).

They will mock him, spit on him, flog him with a whip, and kill him, but after three days he will rise again (Mark 10:34; NLT).

8. We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters (1 John 3:16; NLT).

The Unknown God

November 12, 2020Ruth Kirk

Image: Manuel Schmitt, Pixabay

1. Lord,
You are the Unknown God,
Yet you form heaven and earth.
May we seek you
In Christ, your Son,
Who saves us through his birth.

2. Lord,
You are the Unseen God,
Yet you make stars and space.
May we find you
In Christ, your Son,
Who saves us through his grace.

3. Lord,
You are the Unheard God,
Yet you give life and breath.
May we hear you
In Christ, your Son,
Who saves us through his death.

4. Lord,
You are the Unloved God,
Yet you help those who fall.
May we know you
In Christ, your Son,
Who rose to save us all.

References

1. As I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about. He is the God who made the world and everything in it (Acts 17:23-4; NLT).

Keep on seeking, and you will find (Matthew 7:7; NLT).

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15; NLT).

Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord (Luke 2:11; NIV).

2. All honour and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God (1 Timothy 1:17; NLT).

He also made the stars (Genesis 1:16; NLT).

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1; NLT).

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being (Hebrews 1:3; NIV).

We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus (Acts 15:11; NLT).

3. Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking (Hebrews 12:25; NLT).

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

I do nothing on my own but say only what the Father taught me (John 8:28; NLT).

Our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son (Romans 5:10; NLT).

4. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God” (Psalm 14:1; NIV).

The wicked will go down to the grave. This is the fate of all the nations who ignore God (Psalm 9:17; NLT).

Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand (Psalm 37:24; NLT).

[Baptism] now saves you. […] It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:22; NLT).

Teach me

October 22, 2020October 23, 2020Ruth Kirk

Image: Rondell Melling, Pixabay

Lord,

1. Teach me, when I’m foolish;
Forgive, when I’m unkind.

2. Save me, when in danger;
Soothe, when I’m maligned.

3. Brace me, when I’m tempted;
Console, when I’m afraid.

4. Warn me, when I’m angry;
Calm, when I’m betrayed.

5. Hold me, when I suffer;
Support, when I despair,

6. And guide my soul in death, Lord,
T0 meet you in the air.

References

1. Teach me how to live, O Lord (Psalm 27:11; NLT).

Forgive us our sins (Luke 11:4; NLT).

2. Save me and rescue me (Psalm 71:2; NLT).

Let your unfailing love comfort me (Psalm 119:76; NLT).

3. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure (1 Corinthians 10:13; NLT).

With his love he will calm all your fears (Zephaniah 3:17; NLT).

4. Don’t sin by letting anger control you (Ephesians 4:26; NLT).

I begged my allies for help, but they betrayed me (Lamentations 1:19; NLT).

5. Your right hand upholds me (Psalm 63:8; NLT).

From the depths of despair, O Lord, I call for your help (Psalm 130:1; NLT).

6. Though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me (Psalm 23:4; KJV).

The Lord will guide you continually (Isaiah 58:11; NKJV).

We […] will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17; NLT).

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

Let the Father in

October 18, 2020Ruth Kirk

Image: Marc Pascual, Pixabay

In the Lord alone are deliverance and strength
(Isaiah 45:24; NIV).

1. Let the Father in today,
For he, alone, can pardon sin.

2. Let the Teacher in today,
For he, alone, can save your life.

3. Let the Spirit in today,
For he, alone, can heal your soul.

4. Let the Lord God in today,
For he, alone, can make you whole.

Image: Andrew Martin, Pixabay

References

1. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends (Revelation 3:20; NLT).

He forgives all my sins (Psalm 103:3; NLT).

2. You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am (John 13:13; RSV).

God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God (1 Peter 1:19; NLT).

3. God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24; NLT).

He restores my soul (Psalm 23:3; NKJV).

Their souls shall be like a well-watered garden; and they shall sorrow no more at all (Jeremiah 31:12; NKJV).

4. “I am the Alpha and the Omega – the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come – the Almighty One” (Revelation 1:8; NLT).

He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5; RSV).

Children’s prayer

October 9, 2020October 9, 2020Ruth Kirk

Image: Manfred Richter, Pixabay

Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children” (Matthew 19:14; NLT).

1. Guardian angel,
Hear my prayer:
May Jesus guide me
Everywhere.

2. Guardian angel,
Hear my song:
May Jesus keep me
All day long.

3. Guardian angel,
Hear my plea:
May Jesus help
And comfort me.

4. Guardian angel
Hear my call:
May Jesus bless
And save us all.

Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father (Matthew 18:10; NLT).