Category: unity

23.11.23: One with Christ

Ruth Kirk

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 and become one with him (Philippians 3:8-9; NLT).

May we be one with Christ
In prayer:
Joining with him
In peace and love.

May we be one with Christ
In all:
Seeing his face
In friend and foe.

May we be one with Christ
In joy:
Praising with those
In heaven above.

May we be one with Christ
In grief:
Yielding with him
On earth below.

Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done” (Matthew 26:36-9, 42; NLT).

References

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. I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me (John 17:21-3; NLT).

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

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

Your immortal spirit is in every one of them (Wisdom of Solomon 12:1; GNTA).

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

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

I heard what sounded like a vast crowd in heaven shouting, “Praise the LORD! (Revelation 19:1; NLT).

He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38; NLT).

24.10.23: Pray in the Spirit

Ruth Kirk

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion (1 Corinthians 14:15; NLT). 

Plead with the Father,
Call on his Son,
And pray in the Spirit of God.

Worship the Father,
Follow his Son,
And pray in the Spirit of God.

Join with the Father,
Serve with his Son,
And pray in the Spirit of God.

Live in the Father,
Rest in his Son,
And pray in the Spirit of God.

All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God (Romans 8:14; NLT).

A reading: Romans 8:26-7; AMP.

We do not know what prayer to offer or how to offer it as we should, but the Spirit Himself [knows our need and at the right time] intercedes on our behalf with sighs and groanings too deep for words. And He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because the Spirit intercedes [before God] on behalf of God’s people in accordance with God’s will.

10.10.23: Sharing (for B.B.)

Ruth Kirk
Greyerbaby: Pixabay.

Yesterday I woke at 3am, began to pray, and was immediately flooded with the joy of God’s presence. As today’s verses began to flow, I marvelled at all the different experiences God wants to share with us during prayer.

Although I received the first few lines in words, and could see the shape and rhythm of the whole poem, it proved astonishingly difficult to put into words. The first rough draft was completed just after 8am, but the whole piece wasn’t finished until 11.30 last night!

In your presence is fullness of joy. In your right hand there are pleasures for evermore (Psalm 16:11; WEB). 

Prayer is such a pleasure, Lord,
So, may I rest in you alone,
Sharing the joy and peace you bring:
Father, you want my soul to sing.

Prayer is such a banquet, Lord,
So, may I feast with you each day,
Sharing your pain and ecstasy:
Father, you set my poor soul free.

Prayer is such a wellspring, Lord,
So, may I intercede for all,
Sharing the love that you outpour:
Father, you help my soul to soar.

Prayer is such a comfort, Lord,
So, may I lodge here through life’s storms,
Sharing your perfect truth and light:
Father, you make our souls unite.

The person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him (1 Corinthians 6:17; NLT).

References

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

Listen to my prayer and my plea, O LORD my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is making to you today (1 Kings 8:28; NLT).

Since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering (Romans 8:17; NLT).

Those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles (Isaiah 40:31l NLT). 

May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light (Colossians 1:12; NLT).

10.9.23: Prayer before praying

Ruth Kirk
Webandi: Pixabay.

Gradually, I’m learning to let go of words during prayer, and allow myself to be led, in trust.

The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God (Romans 8:26-7; NRSV).

Spirit, help me now to pray,
And lift my words to God above.
Plead through me for other people;
Teach me to express your love.

Intercede for me today,
And ask the Lord to cleanse my sin.
Beg Him, please, to heal the guilt
And shame I carry, deep within.

Intervene for your name’s sake,
And speak for me both day and night
With sighs too deep for my poor words –
Until, at last, we reunite.

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

4.8.23: Love

Ruth Kirk
Larisa-K: Pixabay.

This prayer came to me a while ago, but it was only whilst laying awake with a migraine a few days ago that I was finally able to set it out in a way that felt right. Even then, there were still a few tiny changes that needed to be made today, just a seconds before posting!

I love you, Lord.
(Psalm 18:1; NLT).

I dare to love you, Lord, my God;
I dare to love your Son;
I dare to love your Spirit:
For you live in me, as one.

I know you love me, Father,
For you sent your only Son
To fill me with your Spirit:
So that we can live as one.

I want to live within you,
And to follow your dear Son,
Relying on your Spirit, Lord:
And loving you, as one.

To love means living to the full
By serving like your Son,
And praying in your Spirit, Lord:
For then we will be one.

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion.
(Ephesians 6:18; NLT). 

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).

24.7.23: God is Spirit

Ruth Kirk
Didgeman: Pixabay.

When I was praying yesterday morning, I saw the simultaneous Threeness and Oneness of God, all happening continually and eternally in a never-ending moment of nowness. However, I found this pretty well impossible to put into words, so today’s blog is sadly just a pale glimpse of what I was given; I did my best.

  • God is Spirit (John 4:24; NLT).
  • The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being (Hebrews 1:3; NIV).
  • Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! (John 14:9; NLT).

God is Spirit – this we know,
And Jesus is God’s human face.

The Holy Ghost is their shared soul,
Uniting them in love and grace.

For God is Three, and God is One:
Our Origin, our life, our end;

Our Elohim, our Guide, our Judge;
Our Saviour, Advocate, and Friend.

  • The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend (Exodus 33:11; NLT). 

Note: Elohim means: Supreme, Mighty One.

1.7.23: In your arms

Ruth Kirk
geralt: Pixabay.

This simple poem arrived during a time of quiet worship:

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms (Deuteronomy 33:27; NKJV).

We wake, pray, and rejoice, Lord,
In your arms;
We give, share, and receive, Lord,
In your hands.

We toil, strive, and progress, Lord,
In your arms;
We fail, sin, and repent, Lord,
In your hands.

We suffer and submit, Lord,
In your arms;
We grieve, weep, and endure, Lord,
In your hands.

We rage, doubt, and despair, Lord,
In your arms;
We hope, trust, and believe, Lord,
In your hands.

We love, serve, and remain, Lord,
In your arms;
We live, die, and unite, Lord,
In your hands.

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

References 

Lead them like a shepherd, and carry them in your arms forever (Psalm 28:9; NLT).

Our lives are in his hands (Psalm 66:9; NLT).

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

There is…one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all (Ephesians 4:6-7; NLT). 

The person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him (1 Corinthians 6:17; NLT).

Remain in me, and I will remain in you (John 15:4; NLT).

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

You…are complete through your union with Christ (Colossians 2:10; NLT). 

19.6.23: I’m smiling

Ruth Kirk
Christ in the House of Martha and Mary,
Paolo Gerolamo Piola, Italian, ca. 1700, metmuseum.org.

This blog came to me towards the end of my online movement to music class yesterday, just when I was least expecting anything. Fortunately I managed to keep hold of it, and to write it down afterwards:

1. I’m smiling with you, Lord,
And laughing with you;
I’m talking with you,
And rejoicing with you.

2. I’m singing with you, Lord
And dancing with you;
I’m eating with you,
And debating with you.

3. I’m praying with you, Lord,
And weeping with you;
I’m grieving with you,
And enduring with you.

4. I’m living with you, Lord,
And serving with you;
I’m dying with you,
And uniting with you.

God has united you with Christ Jesus.
(1 Corinthians 1:30; NLT).

References

Verse 1
He talked with us (Luke 24:32; NLT).

Verse 2
The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing (Zephaniah 3:17; NIV).
I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High (Psalm 9:2; NIV).

Verse 3
He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me” (Matthew 26:38; NLT).
I want to suffer with him (Philippians 3:10; NLT).

Verse 4
Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them (1 John 3:24; NLT).
If we die with him, we will also live with him (2 Timothy 2:11; NLT).
Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go, too – and die with Jesus” (John 11:16; NLT).
Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever (1 Thessalonians 5:10; NLT).
That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day (2 Corinthians 4:16; NLT).
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 and become one with him (Philippians 3:8-9; NLT).

Because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God (Ephesians 1:11; NLT).

4.6.23: God

Ruth Kirk
The Trinity in an Initial B, Master of the Codex Rossiano, Sienese, pobably 1387.

NB: Just after posting this prayer, I looked at my calendar and discovered that today is Trinity Sunday. This came as a complete surprise, and made me smile broadly, rejoicing in God’s astonishing goodness and power!

Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; NIV).

God is three
And God is one:
Father, Spirit,
Much-loved Son.

God is one,
And God is three:
Love, in perfect
Unity.

Love …is the bond of perfect unity (Colossians 3:14; BSB).

God is love (1 John 4:8; NLT). 

References

God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us” (Genesis 1:26; NLT).

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

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 1:3; NLT).

God is Spirit (John 4:24; NLT).

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters (Genesis 1:1-2; NKJV).

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone (John 1:1-4; NLT).

Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, who pleases me. I have put my Spirit upon him (Isaiah 42:1; NLT).

This is My beloved Son (Luke 9:35; NKJV).

The Father and I are one (John 10:30; NLT).

A short reading: Genesis 18:1-3,33; CSB.

The LORD appeared to Abraham at the oaks of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent during the heat of the day. He looked up, and he saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them, bowed to the ground, and said, “My lord, if I have found favor with you, please do not go on past your servant… When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, he departed, and Abraham returned to his place.

29.5.23: We praise you

Ruth Kirk
The Healing of the Blind Man and the Raising of Lazarus Date: first half 12th century (possibly 1129–34), metmuseum.com.

This prayer arrived when I was praying without words very sleepily last Saturday morning. Having just learned how to make videos here after 10 years of using WordPress every day, here is a recording of it, in case that’s better for you than print: IMG_3546

We praise you, Lord (Psalm 21:13; GNT).

We praise you, Lord,
And worship you;
We learn from you,
And follow you;
Believe in you,
And long for you:
Our Teacher.

We love you, Lord,
And serve with you;
We trust in you,
Rejoice in you;
Depend on you,
And pray to you:
Our Master.

We grieve with you,
And yield with you;
Accept with you,
Endure with you;
We suffer and unite
With you,
Our Saviour. 

He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior (Titus 3:6; NLT).

References

You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am (John 13:13; NLT).

Jesus, Master, have mercy on us! (Luke 17:13; NLT).

Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved (Acts 4:11; NLT).

Something extra


Here is a link to a gallery of photos which tell the story of a beautiful, short walk we enjoyed last Saturday. I apologise for having messed up my sharing of this yesterday, and hope it will work properly. I can’t claim to be a mistress of technology! Just click on the live link if you would like to view it: https://wp.me/P45bCr-eaC.