SUE O'DONNELL. 13.04.21
“Convert us, O God our Saviour, and instruct our minds by heavenly teaching.” (A Collect of the
Catholic Church)
We need a heart of love for faith.
Faith in Christ Jesus, seeking to share in His holiness,
Has to be built upon love believed in and received.
It is the Holy Spirit of love who transforms us.
The norm is our driving self-centredness.
We have to labour hard and long to overcome this.
To learn to love selflessly is to become holy.
For this we need the Holy Spirit of the Father and the Son,
Whereupon contrite regarding our sinfulness,
Determined to be converted so as to seek holiness,
We claim the victory at the †of Christ Jesus
Where our merciful Father, lovingly reclaims us.
It is through prayer we become aware of God’s call,
To submit ourselves to His teaching,
Reaching into the depths of both mind and heart,
Always looking to start each day, as we pray,
Given to our growing relationship with faith in Christ Jesus.
All that the Lord Jesus makes holy
Can be ours entirely, when we call on the Holy Spirit of hope.
“Hope speaks to us of a trust, an aspiration, a longing for a life of fulfilment.” (“Fratelli tutti 55” Pope Francis)
“Hope speaks to us of…a desire to achieve great things.” (“Fratelli tutti 55” Pope Francis)
Faith means that “Ten thousand difficulties do not make one doubt,” (St John Henry Newman), because we have met with the Lord Jesus, the Word of life, the source of our faith’s hope, its development and completion. What a blessing!
The Lord Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, according to You, our Father, full of merciful love, with a wish to restore us to belonging to Himself, all combine under the power of holy love to defend us.
“Keep Your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me, then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.” (Psalm 19 v 13 NLT) Thank You for gifting a Saviour who is our Healer. What a blessing!
“May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart” (v14) and the decisions of my mind, with the inclinations of my conscience, “Be pleasing to You, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer,” (Cont) my hope for a better, brighter, holier future for what a blessing we possess.
The Lord Jesus way of life is perfectly holy. He is our living hope, our overcoming of past sinfulness, our moving forwards seeking godliness at all times. What a blessing!
“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honour, at God’s right hand.” (Colossians 3 v 1 NLT) When we do, what a blessing!
May we then “Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth” (v 2) which are fleeting, transitory and ultimately of little or no value. Why do this? It is a necessity of faith. We need the Holy Spirit to incur the blessing of belonging to Christ Jesus.
What then can happen when we are influenced by the Spirit of holiness, the One who fills the Lord Jesus to overflowing? We will have lost interest in this life. Our “..real life is hidden with Christ in God.” (v 3) What a blessing!
It is in Christ Jesus fully alive in us that we live a life of love, of self-giving, of service, it is this which is to be to Your glory, heavenly Father. What a blessing!
Holy Spirit, Lord, please remind us, command us to “Put to death the sinful, earthy things lurking within.” (v 5) Please help us to strip off our “...old sinful nature and all its wickedness.” (v 9) What a blessing!
Animate us by our faith in the resurrected, living Word of God, the One we call ‘Jesus’ because He saves us from all sinfulness. Christ Jesus is our rescue from satan’s clutches. What a blessing!
Help us then to take on our new nature, sharing in the holiness of the Master, that we “…be renewed as we learn to know our Creator and become like Him.” (based on v 10) What a blessing!
Thank You that the Holy Spirit of wisdom and truth, of piety and fulfilment, helps us to seek and find a faith in the living hope of our Saviour, Christ Jesus. What a blessing!
“You will seek Me and find Me, when you search of Me with all your hearts,” (Jeremiah 29 v 13) we are told, finding this to be one hundred percent true. What a blessing!
“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulder,” praise be! “And His name will be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9 v 6) This is our faith’s experience. What a blessing!
It is the Holy Spirit who brings the great love of and for Christ Jesus, alive in us. An what a difference to life this makes. Christ Jesus is our hope, our peace and our joy. What a blessing!
Our Savour is the fullness of all Your promises to us fulfilled, dearest Father. This results in a satisfyingly holy life now, a life led as a pilgrim travelling home to be with You, forever. What a blessing!
The ultimate goal of our faith is to become a part of Your glory in heaven, Eternal Father. There is but one way to accomplish this, which is in Your Son, by Your Spirit. What a blessing!
We have been gifted righteousness according to Your grace. Everything we think, plan, do and say can now be made right in Your sight when we devote each and every day fully to the Lord Jesus.
We can let the peace of Christ Jesus live in our hearts, His deep peace helping to make us one community of love offered in the Master’s service, His praise always on our lips.
May we be strong in faith, dependent upon prayer to bring forward that faith which disarm the enemy. Your providence shields us from all harm, thank You, Father. We are moving onwards from slavery to the new life Jesus offers us. What a blessing!
“For the Word of Yours hold true, LORD and we can trust in everything You do.” (based on Psalm 33 v 4) as You say ‘This is My way, follow it! For it is then “The unfailing love of the LORD fills the earth.” (v 5) At the †You guide us into the way of peace. What a blessing!
“O LORD, I will honour and praise Your name for You are my God” (Isaiah 25 v 1 NLT) My help, our help, my protection, our protection, my deliverance, our deliverance. What a blessing!
“You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago and now You have accomplished them.” (Cont) May many more come to faith through the Lord Jesus, our call to faith. What a blessing!
Blessings happen because we pray and You respond in love, with mercy, the Holy Spirit inviting us into a personal encounter with our Saviour Brother, our Redeemer. What a blessing!
May the Holy Spirit please gift us piety, reverence which fears to dishonour You, dearest Father, in any way at all, knowledge to build up respect through right judgment, fortitude when we struggle. Counsel will help us, thank You. What a blessing!
Holy Spirit of understanding grant us the wisdom of faith we need to live by, so we relish all that is made holy by the Lord Jesus, the Light of the world, that we can live in full unity with the Trinity.
Gifted right standing by our Saviour Brother, as Father God, You look at us through the lens of love, mercy and forgiveness and this has profound results as we pray.
Although I do not like coming to You with a shopping list of requests, together with all who believe in the Saviour, “We are confident that You hear us whenever we ask for anything that pleases You,” (based on 1 John 5 v 14 NLT) and You answer us. What a blessing!
Experience tells us that even with faith we can do nothing truly worthwhile, in that it is lasting. We need the ministry of the Holy Spirit teaching us through Christ Jesus’ words and example. What a blessing!
When we earnestly seek, we find. When we find our Master and Saviour, we live with hope, for Christ Jesus has conquered all sinfulness at the †of our forgiveness. What a blessing!
Let us ever pray, listen, learn and respond, fruitful in service because we are dutiful, upright in all our dealings. Holy Spirit Lord, please keep us praying, asking for all the help we need. For truly what a blessing prayer is.
Thank You for the power of the holy love which safeguards us, guides, helps, supports, favours, gifts grace, offers encouragement and always uplifts. What a blessing!
Above all else, we offer all thanks and praise for the † of Christ Jesus, the place where holy mercy abounds and we gain a newly found life, a fresh hope, a profound peace, all in the revelation of salvation. All glory ever be in this, what a blessing! Amen.
Images by Artist Christine Garwood
http://www.christinegarwoodartist.co.uk/
Season
Key Themes
HOLY SPIRIT
HOPE
