Category: Sin

Your will

Ruth Kirk

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing (Psalm 143:10; NLT). 

Yahweh,
May I do your will,
Give all I am,
And love you still,
Accepting
Every bitter pill –
Like Jesus.

Yahweh,
May your will be done
Throughout my life.
Lord God, please come,
And make me
More like Christ, your Son –
My Saviour.

Yahweh,
May you live in me,
Forgive my sins,
And set me free
To serve you
For eternity –
In heaven.

A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked (Psalm 84:10; NLT).

 

You’re here, Lord

Ruth Kirk

Look! 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).

The LORD must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion (Isaiah 30:18; NLT).

You’re here, Lord:
Waiting all the time –
For I am yours,
And you are mine.

You’re here, Lord:
Waiting at the door –
I love you,
Yet you love me more!

You’re here, Lord:
How my spirit soars –
For you are mine,
And I am yours.

You’re here, Lord:
I invite you in –
To share my life,
Despite my sin.

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

Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” (Genesis 28:16; NLT).

References

The LORD longs to be gracious to you (Isaiah 30:18; NIV).

All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them (John 14:23; NLT).

Come in, Lord! (with thanks to J.)

Ruth Kirk

This prayer came to me during the amazing sermon I listened to on the first Sunday of Advent. Its central theme was that we can invite Christ into every moment and situation with the simple words, “Come in, Lord!”

Essentially, this is the perfect, all-purpose arrow prayer. It asks Jesus to enter and share whatever we are preparing for, facing, experiencing, thinking, feeling, saying, or doing.

I was so touched by this simple spiritual practice that I immediately began to adopt it. As the day progressed, I quickly found that welcoming Jesus in with these words makes the reality of his constant presence much more vivid for me. This instantly increases my sense of our togetherness, as we share whatever is happening at any moment.

My profound thanks to J, for their wonderful help and example to me, as well as for their superb insight and preaching.

So, here is the prayer which came to me during the sermon:

Look! 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).

Come in, Lord!
Enter my mind and heart;
Come in, Lord, enter my soul.
Come in, and share my exile here –
Please come to make me whole.

Come in, Lord!
Enter my life each day;
Come in: don’t wait outside!
Come in, and share my hidden self –
Please come to be my Guide.

Come in, Lord!
Enter my loneliness,
My sorrow, and my pain.
Come in, despite my sinfulness –
And make me your domain.

All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them (John 14:23; NLT).

References

The LORD longs to be gracious to you (Isaiah 30:18; NIV).

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

The LORD must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion (Isaiah 30:18; NLT).

I’m sorry

Ruth Kirk

I confess my sins; I am deeply sorry for what I have done (Psalm 38:18; NLT).

I’m sorry: let me start afresh,
For I have sinned, and have confessed.

I love you: let me start again.
Forgive me, please, and heal my shame.

I trust you: let me start anew.
Please take my hand, and guide me through.

I need you: let me try once more
To love and serve all, I implore.

I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me (Matthew 25:45; NLT).

 

God is with us

Ruth Kirk

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker (Psalm 95:6; NIV).

Yahweh: you’re our only Maker;
Heaven and Earth’s divine Creator;
First and last; our Mover; Shaker:
You are God, there is none greater.

Jesus: you’re our gentle Brother;
Born here of your human mother;
Our example; Teacher; Lover:
Lord our God, we want no other.

Spirit: you’re our lifelong Carer;
When we sin, there is none fairer;
In our sorrows, you’re the Sharer:
God with us, our burden bearer.

Mighty, steadfast Threefold Power,
In your love we grow and flower;
Father; Mother; Refuge; Tower:
Even in our final hour.

God is with us (Matthew 1:23; NLT).

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).

References

You are God (2 Samuel 7:28; NLT).

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

God is my help (Psalm 54:4; NIV).

I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor – Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him (the Holy Spirit) to you [to be in close fellowship with you] (John 16:7; AMP).

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

The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and the One who rescues me; my God, my rock and strength in whom I trust and take refuge; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower – my stronghold (Psalm 18:2; AMP).
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1; NIV).

 

My life

Ruth Kirk

Then he 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). 

I love you, Lord,
Through thick and thin.
I want to serve,
And not to sin;

To turn away
From selfishness,
And comfort others
In distress;

To follow daily,
Bear my cross,
And trust in you
Through gain and loss:

For you’re my Lord,
My God, my Light;
My Bread, my Way,
My Truth, my Life.

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

References

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

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

I am the light of the world (John 8:12; NLT).

Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35; NLT).

I am the living bread that came down from heaven (John 6:51; NLT).

 

What happens after we die?

Ruth Kirk

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

This is what I believe will happen after we die:

  • At death we will leave our bodies behind on earth, and our souls will return to God who gave them.
  • We will be judged on how we lived, how we used the genetic inheritance, bodies, minds, hearts, gifts, talents, opportunities and difficulties God gave us.
  • We will also be judged on how we treated others.
  • No matter what we have done during our lives, God is still our soul.
  • God is One, and cannot be divided. God cannot not send part of themself into eternal separation from themself.
  • When we see God as God really is, we will be deeply awed. We will humbly confess, and bitterly repent of, everything we have done which has hurt God in others.
  • God will understand and forgive us all.
  • We will forgive those who have sinned against us.
  • We will be completely healed.
  • We will be reconciled with one another, and with God.
  • We will be one with God, and with each other.

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).

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. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one (John 17:21-2; NLT). 

References

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).

I am God, and not man; the Holy One within thee (Hosea 11:9; BST).

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

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

We are the temple of the living God (2 Corinthians 6:16; NLT).

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

Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me (Matthew 25:25; NIV).

We will see him as he really is (1 John 3:2; NLT).

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (John 1:9; NIV).

Suggested reading: Psalm 103.

 

Seek Christ

Ruth Kirk

I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you (Luke 11:9; NLT).

Seek Christ; meet Christ;
Follow him.

Learn his teaching;
Do not sin.

Praise and thank him
Every day.

Love him; serve him;
Always pray.

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

References

Then he 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).

Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires (Romans 6:12; NLT).

In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry (Ephesians 4:26; NIV).

Encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:14-23; NIV).

 

A prayer for peace and justice

Ruth Kirk

Pray for peace (Psalm 122:6; NLT).

Seek justice (Isaiah 1:17; NLT).

Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it (Psalm 34:14; NIV).

We pray for peace and justice here:
In your dear name,
Amen.

For joy to grow, instead of fear:
In your dear name,
Amen.

For love to reign, instead of hate:
In your dear name,
Amen.

Before we leave it far too late:
In your dear name,
Amen.

Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows (Isaiah 1:17; NLT).

But if you turn away and refuse to listen, you will be devoured by the sword of your enemies. I, the LORD, have spoken! (Isaiah 1:20; NLT).

References

The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine… For you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. You will break the oppressor’s rod…

The boots of the warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned. They will be fuel for the fire.

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen! (Isaiah 9:2, 4-7; NLT).