Sue O’Donnell. 28.07.20
“God’s servant is like a painting; a creature of God, through whom God is honoured because of His blessings. He must not lay claim to any more merit than the wood and the colour do.”
(St Thomas of Assisi)
Blessed by our Father, through the Lord Jesus,
But we must acknowledge the impact
And the blessing of inspiration of the Holy Spirit in this.
The Spirit, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity,
He is a radical, marvel working revolutionary.
The Spirit works with us to commit us to Jesus.
The Spirit changes our life’s priority so we pursue
And more readily persist in all that is godly.
The Spirit comes to us individually when invited
And He works with the church, Christ’s body on earth.
It is the Spirit who gives birth to Christianity,
Making us ardent worshippers of our Father,
By our focus upon the Lord Jesus, offering Him ourselves.
“ ‘My Lord and my God...Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed’.” (John 20 v 28, 29)
The Spirit commits us to this fresh focus,
Keeping our eyes fixed on the heavenly destiny,
Prayer by prayer offered daily, sincerely and joyously
For this Spirit is the very Spirit of Jesus,
Coming to us to renew the face of the earth.
The blessings He accomplishes include a new life in Jesus,
The One who paid the highest price of sacrifice for this purpose.
The Spirit is the Enabler, turning our life around
In the new found delight whereby we offer Christian service.
It is the breath of the Holy Spirit which animates us,
Devoting us to the highest friendship with our Brother,
Who is, as the Spirit convinces us, Jesus, our personal Saviour.
“There is a wind if we can but catch it, which blows all the time to help us on our journey through life to our final destination. That wind is the Holy Spirit.” (Cardinal Basil Hulme)
“But the wind cannot be caught or used unless the sail is hoisted, and the hoisting is our task.
We must be on the watch, ready to recognise it and play our part. God does hold us, and will lead us, if we want it; but we must want it.” (Cardinal Basil Hulme)
Come Holy Spirit, Lord, we do so want You to impact upon us with all Your power of holy love, making this our own, as we dedicate to the service of the Lord Jesus.
We are so blessed to know You as the full love between our Father and His Son, our Saviour, the Lord Jesus and we want please, to be an active part of this power of love.
You are the faith Giver, helping us to claim the mercy of our Father and the salvation won for us by the Lord Jesus’ willing sacrifice at the †. Without You our faith is shaky.
Please be with us through all the many, even daily ups and downs of life, full of challenge, difficulty, many an anxiety, stress and strain. Please keep our faith alive.
Devote us for this reason, to become closer and closer to the Living Word of God, that of the Lord Jesus,
empowering us to receive Him in heart, mind, will and conscience, for Jesus is God’s love manifest, You teach us.
Teach us further, in all wisdom and truth, those charisms we need to put into practise so as to be faithful and fruitful in our Christian witness and the service You call us to. Make our commitment to this wholehearted
indeed.
Without You Lord of the Spirit, there is no real thrust, nor urgency to our faith because it is more a head knowledge than a heart movement and real fulfilment. This is then, a wasted opportunity.
But Your presence with us makes a radical difference to us. Please come through a prayerful invitation offered daily. “Open our eyes that we may see wondrous things from Your law,” (Psalm 119 v 18 the singular invocation changed to plural) adhere to this and become active love in Christian service.
We need please, to be gifted as a disciple of the Lord, our Saviour, a disciple’s ear to listen, mind to understand, will to obey, heart to act in nothing but love. Fill us, Holy Spirit, Lord and Counsellor “Be exalted, O LORD, in Your own strength! We will sing and praise Your power,” (Psalm 21 v 13) for this is the power of love which makes all the real difference in the world to us, as You enhance our likeness to the Lord Jesus.
Please continue to do this. Imprint His way, His truth, His life upon us that holiness becomes the life of love we share with the Lord and Saviour, all to the glory of our Father. Amen.
Images by Artist Christine Garwood
http://www.christinegarwoodartist.co.uk/
Season
Key Themes
HOLY SPIRIT
