SUE O'DONNELL. 16.04.21
“…unfailing love surrounds those who trust the LORD.” (Psalm 32 v 10 NLT)
The disciples who were walking to Emmaus,* (*Luke 24 v 13-35)
Only understood the Lord Jesus, recognising Him,
When He spoke with them explaining the Scriptures to them.
What then was the blockage to their recognition?
They did not expect to meet with Jesus.
After all He had been recently crucified,
So why would they expect to meet the Master?
How then was there a change of heart and mind?
The Holy Spirit was at work, the Illuminator.
How many of us, I wonder, do not recognise the Master,
Because we do not expect to meet Him,
Not in the everyday way of daily life.
Nor do we ask for this to happen, we do not pray.
We need a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit
To touch the hearts and minds of ours today to seek and find.
“So rejoice in the LORD and be glad, all you who obey Him! Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure.” (Psalm 32 v 11 NLT)
Without the Holy Spirit we will not seek to find Jesus,
Although He has risen from the dead just like He said.
Without the Spirit who gifts us understanding,
We will not see, hear, nor feel the power of holy love.
We will not know we are a redeemed people,
Blood bought children of Christ Jesus, rescued at the †.
We will not recognise satan’s iron grip upon us.
We will not see that which is evil everywhere,
For we will not as yet, know holiness.
Oh, we are in dire need of transformation, of reformation.
We must experience the personal love of the Lord Jesus,
And for this we have to call on the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.
Once we allow Him to impact upon us to influence us,
Then everything changes and radically so.
How can we live a life of holy love unless we meet with this love?
“The prophets spoke about this salvation, but they could only look forward to the grace you already
experience…The Spirit of Christ working in them, enabled them to predict the sufferings of Christ and
the glory that would follow His victory on the cross.” (1 Peter 1 v 10, 11 The Truth)
“They could only look forward to what has now been revealed to you by those who have preached the gospel to you in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven by God to those who believe.” (1 Peter 1 v 12 The Truth)
The starting point of faith is to pray, to ask to believe in Christ Jesus and to receive from Him, by being open to the influence of the Holy Spirit.
This is the way of true faith, there is no other way. This is how we will come to know, to experience the loving mercy our Father has for us, when we understand the † the Lord Jesus accepted.
“Not only prophets but even angels long to look into these things that are common knowledge to you,” (1 Peter 1 v 12 The Truth) who have met the Lord Jesus personally and call upon Him as He is, our Forever Saviour.
We pray to believe. We believe to receive directly from the Holy One, the beloved Son we call ‘Jesus’ because He saves us from all our sinfulness, redeeming us at the †.
This is how and where we acknowledge our transformation and reformation. This is a new beginning, all thanks be to You dearest Father, for Your mercy.
It is vital for us to understand what the gospels and the disciple’s letters tell us. “Because you have now received this revelation, you need to have mindsets of those who are ready for action and will be self-
controlled in their way of life.” (1 Peter 1 v 13 The Truth)
Let us rejoice in our belief, trusting in the mercy of God, the love of the Lord Jesus and the new life the Holy Spirit gifts to us. “Let the godly sing for joy to the LORD; it is fitting for the pure to praise Him.” (Psalm 33 v 1 NLT)
Let the Spirit of purity impact upon us soundly for baptised, we are immersed into the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus. And after this, when we receive the precious body and blood of our Forever Saviour, our faith is strengthened and emboldened by the Spirit.
Thank You for the mystery of the Holy Eucharist, at which we receive the glorified body of our Forever Saviour, that one day we will be totally transformed into His likeness. How marvellous!
“Don’t you realise that your bodies are actually parts of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 6 v 15 NLT) “Don’t you
realise that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given you by God?”
(v 19)
Thank You for living in us, in Your Son, by Your Spirit, able then to transform us by holiness, reforming our sinfulness, conforming us to a likeness to our Saviour Brother, as the hope, the peace and the joy of our faith are all a Holy Spirit gifted experience.
We do not belong to ourselves, as Father God, You have bought us at the highest price of the Lord Jesus’ perfect life sacrificed at the †to gain forgiveness for all the sins of the world. This is our salvation and this is our Easter rejoicing, we are a people set at liberty from sin as truly loving mercy is revealed at the †.
Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, may we strive after holiness, each day starting with prayer devoting ourselves to the Master, the Saviour, seeking the blessing of the purifying, life enhancing, sanctifying Spirit.
We are to work towards our citizenship in heaven, where our mortal bodies will be miraculously transformed to be like the risen and glorified Lord Jesus, as we all become one in You, holy Father.
In the meantime, we pray and work for our transformation, our reformation. Thank You that out of mercy You always reclaim us as Your children, brothers and sisters who stand beyond the †, made righteous by the blood Christ Jesus sheds for us.
We must not live as previously, self-centred, self-righteous, lacking our full potential. This can now be reached when we pray and ask for the daily input of the Holy Spirit, His efforts becoming our better likeness to Christ Jesus that we can be fruitful in His service.
May we always be willing to be refined for this essential work, challenged when we err and stray, corrected so we repent and move on afresh, patient in our efforts made towards sanctity, for we are Christ Jesus’ good works in progress.
Let us ever seek to earn and practise all that is holy, worthwhile, noble, uplifting, beneficial to others, pleasing to our Saviour Brother, being Spirit led, guided and safeguarded. We must always work in all truth therefore.
May we be a people of encouragement, who help to heal just like the Spirit anointed Peter could and did. We must work in the name of Christ Jesus, that of holy love visible, audible and tangible.
May we remain open to the Holy Spirit’s anointing, appointing and correction, His teaching and preaching, this pointing in a certain direction according to the task in hand.
Let us reach forwards in faith ever aiming higher because we have been inspired by the Spirit of wisdom, the Life Enhancer, the problem Solver, the difficulty Overcomer.
The Holy Spirit’s godly touch always brings help and healing, support and strengthening, vigour and blessing in its wake for we are an Easter people, profoundly blessed by the Presence of the risen Lord of love, the Word of life.
He as Saviour, teaches us the need for reverent obedience. It is no good learning the truth only to forget it or overlook it. Holy wisdom and truth unlock the door of possibility for life to become holy, thank You.
But we must stay connected with the Lord Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, if we are not to regress or digress from the narrow pathway, stretching heavenwards. We must not risk going backwards because we have been set gloriously free from sin, everlastingly free, all praise and thanks ever be.
Dearest Father, how gracious is Your love and mercy, granting us recurring opportunities to pray and work for holiness even after we have fallen from Your grace and favour. Holy love in all its extraordinary power as manifest at the †, overcoming sin and death, uplifts us.
Thank You for Christ Jesus acting as our Saviour Redeemer, restoring us to favour by the graced gift of the Holy Spirit. Thank You for the † of forgiveness, such mercy shown us.
Thank You for the new life we are offered as Christ Jesus suffered to eradicate all sin. Now it is up to us to conform to the holiness the Saviour offers to share with us, by means of the Spirit of transformation, of reformation, He who is our revelation into universal truth.
Now is the time of salvation! Now today, tomorrow might be too late! We do not know what faces us each day, but we do know the route, the way home to heaven. The Saviour Christ Jesus is the way, the only way we must follow.
May the Holy Spirit make us His ardent disciples, keen to be conformed to a Christlike life in all the fullness of holiness experienced as peace between You and us, restored to favour holy Father.
We cannot do this on our own. We need Your Spirit’s intervention, His inclination to make us belong entirely to the Lord Jesus, moving from sinfulness to holiness day by blessed day, prayer and efforts being the tool we use tirelessly.
Our Father in heaven, in order for us to receive the Spirit of transformation, of reformation, we need the revelation which inspires all we seek to do in the name of our Saviour Brother, happy to reach perfection.
Please continue to help us as an Easter people under Your loving care day by blessed day, enabling us to persevere with love and sincerity in all integrity.
May sinfulness no longer separate us from You, for we are dependent on all You do and say to make us holy. May the Spirit guide our prayer, so according to the mercy found at the †of Christ Jesus, we are confident to call You ‘Abba’, Your love the foundation of life.
We thank You for the promise and hope of heaven, an eternal destiny in the glorious company of the Holy Trinity! I cannot imagine the joy, except in terms of when we see a newly born baby, born to a life of potential.
We have been reborn in Christ Jesus by the Holy Spirit. May the Spirit of faith fill us to overflowing with holy love, surrendering our life to the Saviour, that He be Master over us, amongst us, sharing the light of His
love, His wisdom and truth.
Breathe on us, Hoy Spirit, to make our thoughts, ideas, intentions, decisions holy, fully pleasing to our Father, as we endeavour to honour the Lord Jesus with our time, resources, skills and talents put to His service.
Please safeguard our holiness, not that we appear ‘Holier than thou’, but that the love of the Lord Jesus is readily found through us. May our life of love bring hope, peace and joy to all those we live with, work with or simply meet with. Only by love can we maintain all that is holy.
Please continue to counsel and uphold us in the way of life which is Christlike, realising all that is right is putting right that which we know is wrong, until we are fully conformed to Christ Jesus’ image, this is the eternal wisdom we stand in.
May we live daily, fully in the perfect unity which is Your gift to us, Lord God, Most High, that perfect love which signifies the Holy Trinity as we understand You and adore You.
Thank You for gifting us Your Son as our worship and the Spirit of holiness to inspire us, that no longer need we be sinful nor sorrowful. I ask this in the name of our Forever Saviour, Christ Jesus. Amen.
Images by Artist Christine Garwood
http://www.christinegarwoodartist.co.uk/
Season
Key Themes
HOLY SPIRIT
GOD'S LOVE
