Category: self

May I care

Ruth Kirk

Image: Makri27, Pixabay

1. May I care for others, Lord,
And also for myself,

2. Mindful of their thinking, Lord,
And also of my own;

3. Conscious of their feelings, Lord,
And mine, too, deep within –

4. Then I will speak the truth in love,
But, Lord, I will not sin.

 

References

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

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

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

3. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn (Romans 12:15; NRSV).

Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? (Psalm 42:5; NLT).

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

Be angry but do not sin (Ephesians 4:26; RSV).

I will watch what I do and not sin in what I say (Psalm 39:1; NLT).

“Self”

Ruth Kirk


In him we live and move and have our being
(Acts 17:28; NIV).

1. Help me, Lord, to seek
My inner “self” –
The hidden light
That always guides my way.

2. Help me to discern
My shadow “self” –
The honest truth
That talks with me each day.

3. Help me to explore
My silent “self” –
The secret peace
That brings me such great joy.

4. Help me to accept
My inmost “self” –
The healing love
That nothing can destroy.

5. Help me, then, to shed
My fragile “self” –
It’s only an illusion, Lord,
A breath,

6. For I am one with you,
And you with me –
So nothing will remain of “self”
In death.

References

1. You will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all soul (Deuteronomy 4:29; NIV).

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

2. You will know the truth and the truth will set you free (John 8:32; NLT).

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


3. You will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand (Philippians 4:7; NLT).

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

4. Three things will last forever – faith, hope, and love – and the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13; NLT).

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

5. We ourselves are like fragile clay jars (2 Corinthians 4:7; NLT).

Common people are only a vapour; important people, an illusion (Psalm 62:9; CSB).

They will fade like a dream and not be found (Job 20:8; NLT).

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

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

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

Covid-19 (#1 of 2 linked poems)

Ruth Kirk

1. This plague won’t end
Until we start to change,
Moving our main concern
From get,
To give.

2. This plague won’t end
Until we start to change,
Shifting our aim
From greed,
To how we live.

3. This plague won’t end
Until we start to change,
Turning our main resolve
From keep,
To share.

4. This plague won’t end
Until we start to change,
Swapping our main intent
From wealth,
To care.

5. This plague won’t end
Until we start to change,
Switching our main desire
From self,
To love.

6. This plague won’t end
Until we’ve understood,
And learned to change
Our way of life –
For good!

May I forget myself

Ruth Kirk
Photo: Snap_it

Then [Jesus] said to the crowd, “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).

1. Lord,
May I forget myself,
And simply worship you.

2. Lord,
May I forget myself,
And serve in all I do.

3. Lord,
May I forget myself,
And pray with every thought.

4. Lord,
May I forget myself,
And love you as I ought.

References

1. You must worship the Lord your God (Luke 4:8; NLT).

2. Serve him with all your heart and soul (Deuteronomy 10:12; NLT).

3. Pray constantly (1 Thessalonians 5:17; NIV).

4. 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).

Closer

Ruth Kirk


1. Help me lean towards you, Lord,
Closer to your thoughts,
So I may glimpse the wisdom
Of your mind.

2. Help me grow towards you, Lord,
Closer to your heart,
So I may share your love
For humankind.

3. Help me move towards you, Lord,
Closer to your soul,
So I may leave
My sinful self behind.

4. Help me run towards you, Lord,
So we may reunite,
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. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you (James 4:8; CSB).

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

4. Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us (Hebrews 12:1; NLT).

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).

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).