Category: self

A little closer

Ruth Kirk


1. May I lean a little closer –
Closer, Lord, to you?
Then I will know your heart,
And soul, and mind.

2. May I come a little closer –
Closer, Lord, to you?
Then I will share your love
For humankind.

3. May I grow a little closer –
Closer, Lord, to you?
Then I will leave
My sinful self behind.

4. May I draw so close, Lord,
That I reunite with you?
For you have promised:
Seek, and you will find.

 References

1. Come closer and listen to the words of the Lord your God (Joshua 3:9; CSB).

2. God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16; NLT).

3. Get rid of your sins, and leave all iniquity behind you (Job 11:14; NLT).

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

If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you (Jeremiah 29:13-14; NLT).

Seek and you will find (Matthew 7:7; NIV).

Want, start, learn, grow

Ruth Kirk


I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 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 (John 17:20-21; NLT).

1. Only when we want to love you
Can we love our neighbour, too,
Sensing, Lord, that they, and we,
Are one, and all are one in you.

2. Only as we start to love you
Can we love each stranger, too,
Glimpsing, Lord, that they, and we,
Are one, and all are one in you.

3. Only as we learn to love you
Can we love each foreigner,
Seeing, Lord, that they, and we,
Are one, and all are one in you.

4. Only as we grow to love you
Can we love each enemy,
Grasping, Lord, that they, and we
Are one, and all are one in you.

5. Only when we deeply love you
Can we also love ourselves,
Knowing, Lord, that we are one
With all your people, and with you.

References

1. 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).

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

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

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

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

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

To acquire wisdom is to love oneself (Proverbs 19:8; NLT).

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

Beyond

Ruth Kirk

1. Lord,
I seek you out
In contemplation,

2. Though you are beyond words,
Thoughts,
And feelings;

3. Beyond movement,
Time,
And place;

4. Beyond awareness
Of any separate self –

5. My Lord,
And my God.

References

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

2. Be silent before the Sovereign Lord (Zephaniah 1:7; NIV).

3. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

5. “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed (John 20:28; NLT).

United

Ruth Kirk

1. United, Father, with your mind,
I freely leave my self behind.

2. United, Father, with your heart,
I gladly let my self depart.

3. United, Father, with your soul,
I lose my self to be made whole.

4. United: Father, Spirit, Son –
I need no self, for all are one.

References

1. 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).

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

3. 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).

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

Self is an illusion

Ruth Kirk

My old self has been crucified with Christ.
It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me
(Galatians 2:20; NLT).

1. Self, Lord, is a shadow,
Created by the sun;
Self is an illusion,
When we forget we’re one.

2. Self, Lord, is a daydream,
A temporary state;
Self is what we leave behind
When we seek heaven’s gate.

3. Self, Lord, is a mirage,
Created by the sun;
Self is a delusion,
When we forget we’re one.

4. Self, Lord, is a bubble,
An unimportant loss;
Self is what we leave behind
When we take up our cross.

References

1. For we were born but yesterday and know nothing. Our days on earth are as fleeting as a shadow (Job 8:9; NLT).
Common people are only a vapour; important people, an illusion (Psalm 62:9; CSB).
You are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28; NLT).

2. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace (1 Chronicles 29:15; NLT).
You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate (Matthew 7:13; NLT).

3. They are all a delusion; their works are nothing (Isaiah 41:29; ESV).

4. 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 (Philippians 3:8; NLT).
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).

A dream 27.2.19.

Ruth Kirk

Here is a strange, vivid dream, which I would like to share with you:

I was sinking deep into my self, towards a small, intense, single cell of white light. It had a clearly outlined border, and a dark nucleus. I watched it slowly moving and changing shape, rather like an amoeba. It was alive!

As I descended towards it, I realised that this light was far larger and brighter than it had seemed at first. Suddenly, I plunged into it. The light surrounded and inundated me completely. Instantly, I lost all sight and sense of it having any boundaries at all, and realised it was limitless. Then I understood that this light was God.

There was no separation between this light and myself, other people, animals, the living, the dead, creation, past, present, or future. Rather, all things were the infinite, incomprehensible oneness of God, who is, “Over all, in all, and living through all”.

I woke up with daylight streaming into my room. Later, whilst I was dressing, it came into my mind that whatever the future holds, I have been healed. Then I was overwhelmed by awe and wonderment. 

References

God is light (1 John 1:5; NLT).

No power in the sky above or in the earth below – indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:39; NLT).

How great is God – beyond our understanding (Job 36:26; NIV).

There is […] one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all (Ephesians 4:5-6; NLT).

O Lord, please leave me – I’m too much of a sinner to be around you (Luke 5:8; NLT).