Category: Share

Thank you

Ruth Kirk

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

Thank you for making me;
Thank you for saving me;
Thank you for knowing my heart,
Mind, and prayers.

Thank you for hearing me;
Thank you for guiding me;
Thank you for sharing my sorrows
And cares.

In all their suffering he also suffered (Isaiah 63:9; NLT).

References

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

You are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long (Psalm 25:5; NIV).

You know my heart (Jeremiah 12:3; NLT).

You know my thoughts even when I’m far away (Psalm 139:2; NLT).

He hears my voice (Psalm 55:17; NIV).

He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake (Psalm 23:3; NIV).

Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world (John 16:33; NLT).

 

We adore you

Ruth Kirk

Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O LORD, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things (1 Chronicles 29:11; NLT).

We adore you,
Holy God:
Yahweh, Spirit,
Christ, your Son.

We revere you,
Mighty God:
Steadfast, patient –
You are One.

We extol you,
Blesséd God:
Caring, sharing –
You are good.

We proclaim you,
Gracious God:
Tender, faithful –
You are Love.

God is love (1 John 4:8; NLT).

References

Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; NLT).

Then a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him” (Luke 9:35; NLT).

The LORD our God, the LORD is one (Deuteronomy 6:4; NIV).

Only God is truly good (Luke 18:19; NLT).

 

Justice and peace

Ruth Kirk

If only you had paid attention to my commandments! Your peace would have been like a river, and your justice would have been like the waves of the sea (Isaiah 48:18; CPDV).

I pray for justice, and for peace,
So all our selfish wars will cease.

I pray for kindness, help and care
In every heart, so all will share.

I pray that we will live as friends,
So all abuse and conflict ends.

I pray for truth and joy to flood
Each soul, so all will live in love.

May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else (1 Thessalonians 3:12; NIV).

No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us (1 John 4:12; NLT).

References

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

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

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

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

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

Anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4:7; NLT).

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

 

Is prayer an effort?

Ruth Kirk

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

Prayer needn’t be an effort:
Just share your honest self  –

Not as a chore, or duty,
For prayer is not a rod.

Just share your thoughts and feelings,
And all you say and do,

While listening to the inner voice
Of Christ, our Lord and God..

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

References

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

God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it (Job 33:14; NLT).

 

Face blindness: a message

Ruth Kirk

Despite, or perhaps partly because of, my newly-identified face blindness, I love whoever is in front of me, whether I recognise them or not. Now that I know I am face-blind, today’s blog encapsulates what I want to explain to those whose path I cross.

Acknowledging my face blindness openly, rather than hiding my lack of recognition, or faking recognition, is completely new for me. My hope is that this will make my life a lot less stressful than before.

Meanwhile, I take comfort from the fact that even Mary and the other disciples did not immediately recognise Jesus after his resurrection. God had a plan and a purpose for them, and also has a plan and a purpose for me, though I have no idea what it is. My face blindness is therefore not an accident, and God will bring good out of it for others, and perhaps even for me. As St. Paul writes: “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28; NLT).

So here is today’s blog…

God kept them from recognizing him (Luke 24:16; NLT). 

Although I cannot recognise
Your face, please know: I care.

No matter who you are, I’d like
To listen, help, or share.

Although I can’t recall your name
I’m ready: fully here –

So I’ll be honest, as I face,
And overcome, my fear.

Speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15; NLT).

References

She turned around and saw Jesus standing there; but she did not recognize that it was Jesus (John 20:14; BSB).

Then the two told what had happened on the road, and how they had recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread (Luke 24:35; BSB).

Christ is all, and is in all (Colossians 3:11; NIV).

The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40; NIV).

Love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18; NKJV).

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

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

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

 

Contemplation

Ruth Kirk

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).

Contemplation, Yahweh God,
Is waiting in your love;
It’s sharing in your love,
And praying in your love.

Contemplation, Son of Man,
Is walking in your love;
It’s serving in your love,
And resting in your love.

Contemplation, Holy Ghost,
Is dancing in your love;
It’s sighing in your love,
And weeping in your love.

Contemplation, Elohim,
Is living in your love;
It’s fading in your love,
And dying in your love.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me (Psalm 23:4; KJV).

 

Contemplation

Ruth Kirk

A few days ago, I suddenly understood contemplation in a way that is new to me. I saw that no special techniques of any kind are needed, because even whilst we are waiting for God, wordlessly, perhaps even despairingly, we are already one with God.

The phrase, “Waiting in God’s womb”, burst into my mind as a new definition of contemplation. For me, this means that that no matter what we experience, every aspect of our intention is shared with, and by, our amazing God.

Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act (Psalm 37:7; NLT). 

Contemplation:
Waiting in God’s womb.

Contemplation:
Merging with God’s love.

Contemplation:
Sharing in God’s joy.

Contemplation:
Resting in God’s peace.

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

References

Will I, who causes others to give birth, not also give birth myself, says the Lord? Will I, who bestows generation upon others, be barren myself, says the Lord your God? (Isaiah 66:9; CPDV).

You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth (Deuteronomy 32:18; NIV).

Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from eternity to eternity, you are God (Psalm 90:2; CSB).

The LORD is in his holy Temple (Habakkuk 2:20; NLT).

Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28; NLT).

 

Aloneness

Ruth Kirk

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? (Psalm 22:1; NLT).

Jesus,
There is nothing
You don’t know
About aloneness.

Jesus,
There is nothing
You don’t know
About despair.

Jesus,
There is nothing
You don’t know,
About depression.

Jesus,
There is nothing
You don’t know –
That’s why you share.

Day after day he bears our burdens (Psalm 68:19; CSB).

References

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).

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).

God

Ruth Kirk

There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called into one hope when you were called. There is one Savior, one faith, one baptism, one God and Creator of all, who is over all, who works through all and is within all (Ephesians 4:4-6; TIB).

You are the God of all that is,
And all that is to come –
So, may we trust and serve you well,
And, may your will be done.

You are the God who longs to help,
And loves us all so much –
So, may we search for you, and find,
Then share, your gentle touch.

You are the God who makes us all,
And gives us life and breath –
So, may we see your face at last,
Beyond our life and death.

For now [in this time of imperfection] we see in a mirror dimly [a blurred reflection, a riddle, an enigma], but then [when the time of perfection comes we will see reality] face to face. Now I know in part [just in fragments], but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known [by God] (1 Corinthians 13:12; AMP).

 

I trust you

Ruth Kirk

Trust in God, and trust also in me (John 14:1; NLT).

I trust in you, LORD; I say, “You are my God” (Psalm 31:14; NIV).

You help me slowly,
Bit by bit:
I trust you,
For you never quit.

You mend my thinking,
Day by day:
I trust you,
For you light my way.

You ease my anguish,
Step by step:
I trust you,
For we share each threat.

You heal my spirit,
Year by year:
I trust you,
For you’re always here.

Behold, I am with you every day, even unto the end of time (Matthew 28:20; ABPE).

References

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13; NLT).

According to your faith [your trust and confidence in My power and My ability to heal] it will be done to you (Matthew 9:29; AMP).

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me (Psalm 23:4; NLT).

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

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