Never stop praying
(1 Thessalonians 5:17; NLT).
Father, Spirit, much-loved Son,
May we always live as one,
Our conversation, never end –
My way, my truth, my friend.
Teacher, Shepherd, constant Guide,
May we suffer side by side,
And our communion never cease –
My hope, my joy, my peace.
Threefold God, though you are light,
I must walk by faith, not sight,
Until this earthly life is past –
And I see you, at last.
We walk by faith, not by sight
(2 Corinthians 5L7; KJV).
Christ is all that matters (Colossians 3:11; NLT).
1. Only one thing matters:
To sit at Jesus’ feet,
And listen to his teaching,
For all his words are sweet.
2. Only one thing matters:
To practise what he taught,
By loving all our fellows
In word, and deed, and thought.
3. Only one thing matters:
To grow much more like Christ,
Until we live as one with him,
And share his sacrifice.
If we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering
(Romans 8:17; NLT).
References
1. There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her (Luke 10:38-42; NLT).
Wisdom is sweet to your soul (Proverbs 24:15; NLT).
2. I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return (Philippians 1:10; NLT).
If you continue to follow my teaching, you are really my disciples (John 8:31; NET).
The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love (Galatians 5:6; NIV).
We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ (Ephesians 4:15; NLT).
Do everything with love (1 Corinthians 16:14; NLT).
We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5; NIV).
3. The Lord – who is the Spirit – makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image (2 Corinthians 3:18; NLT).
I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him (Philippians 3:8-9; NLT).
Whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17; NIV).
God teaches people through suffering
and uses distress to open their eyes.
(Job 36:15; GNT).
1. You teach, and train, and test us all
By sending good and ill –
2. We only hurt ourselves, Lord,
When we fight against your will.
3. May we accept our suffering
With joy, and thanks, and prayer,
4. Trusting you to help us grow in love,
Through all we bear.
References
1. The Lord your God is testing you to see if you truly love him with all your heart and soul (Deuteronomy 13:3; NLT).
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both good and ill go forth? (Lamentations 3:38; NASB95).
When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other (Ecclesiastes 7:14; NIV).
2. It is useless for you to fight against my will (Acts 26:14; NLT).
You are hurting yourself by kicking against the goads (Acts 26:14; NET).
It’s foolish to fight against me! (Acts 26:14; CEV).
Submit to God and be at peace with him (Job 22:21; NIV).
3. This is my intense suffering, but I must bear it (Jeremiah 10:19; CSB).
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; NLT).
4. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4; NIV).
He is your example and you must follow in his steps.
(1 Peter 2:21; NLT).
Lord,
You’re my example,
My Saviour,
And my Friend;
My Shepherd,
And my Teacher;
My Maker,
And my end;
My bread, my wine,
My water;
My way, my truth,
My breath;
My King, my God,
My Spirit;
My love, my life,
My death.
✝️
If we die with him, we will also live with him.
(2 Timothy 2:11; NLT).
If you can, please join me in this prayer today:
Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you (Luke 6:27-8; NIV).
Father,
I pray that President Putin will come to his senses, repent and turn to you, and that you will forgive his sins.
I pray that he will follow Christ, taking him as his way, truth and life, his Teacher, example and guide.
I pray that you will heal him in mind, heart and soul, and that he will be born again, and be filled with your Holy Spirit.
I pray that he will come to know, accept, and return, your perfect love.
I pray that he will recognise and love you in every human being, and in this astonishing world you have created – the only place in which we, your people, can live together.
Thank you for hearing my prayer, Lord.
I ask all this in your dear Son’s name, Amen.
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love (1 John 4:8; 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).
Come to me,
All you who suffer:
I will give you rest.
Take my yoke,
And let me teach you
As you face each test.
Accept your cross,
And trust in me:
The load I give is light.
Then follow me,
For you and I
Are precious in God’s sight.
🖤
Then he [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. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it” (Luke 9:23-4; NLT).
You are precious in my sight (Isaiah 43:4; NASB20).
Have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 2:5; NIV).
Jesus, my Shepherd,
I want to be kind,
Helping others, like you:
Lord, please give me your mind.
Jesus, my Saviour,
I’m trying to start,
Yet again, to love all:
Lord, please give me your heart.
Jesus, my Teacher,
I long to be whole,
Serving others, like you:
Lord, please give me your soul.
Jesus, my Master,
Your might is immense,
And I am so small:
Lord, please give me your strength.
🖤
Give your strength to your servant.
(Psalm 86:16; NLT).
You will soon return from exile (Lamentations 4:22; NLT).
Life is an exile,
Our time here, our quest;
Our classroom, our desert,
Our struggle, our test.
Christ is our Teacher,
Our way, and our guide;
Our friend, our example,
Our help, by our side.
His Spirit, within, is our light,
And our strength;
Our Counsel, our Comfort,
Our truth, our defence.
God is our Maker,
Our life, and our goal;
Our Lord, our Redeemer,
Our spirit; our soul.
🖤
There is a spirit within people, the breath of the Almighty within them.
(Job 32:8; NLT).
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; WEB).
The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7; NIV).
Live a life filled with love,
following the example of Christ
(Ephesians 5:2; NLT).
My Lord, my God, my Brother,
May I grow more like you,
By treating my emotions with acceptance,
And with care.
My Lord, my God, my Teacher,
May I grow more like you,
By mending each judgemental thought
Immediately, in prayer.
My Lord, my God, my Shepherd,
May I grow more like you,
By speaking kindly, making sure
That all I say is true.
My Lord, my God, my Saviour,
May I grow more like you,
By doing everything with love –
Then I’ll be more like you.
Do everything with love
(1 Corinthians 16:14; NLT).
The Lord – who is the Spirit – makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image (2 Corinthians 3:18; NLT).
The years of pain.
The empty street.
The fruitless wait;
The mid-day heat.
The dying hope;
The voices, near.
The noisy crowd;
The Teacher, here.
His look of love;
His outstretched hand.
His healing touch;
He helps me stand.
I straighten up,
And take a pace;
The people cheer
While we embrace.
A miracle!
He’s set me free!
I thank him,
And he blesses me.
I bow down low.
The crowd moves on.
I raise my eyes,
But he is gone.
The voices fade
Along the way.
I see it all –
Like yesterday.
I am the Lord who heals you
(Exodus 15:26; NLT).