“My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer” Psalm 45 v 1
Life
POETRY - Life
Introducing our book: Listen Carefully to Me
A Listen Carefully to Me book extract:
19th May
I long to fill your life
to the very full, the utmost of Me. For this you have to come to Me unreservedly. Come, My child, come now and we will not look back; the future is glorious!
LIFE - A SELECTON OF POEMS
Day dies with sunless skies, The dark descends silently. Each morning at dawning We witness a miracle, A fresh opening of possibility, A new day to seek the holy Always but always coming silently. The velvet black of night Whether starlit bright or not, Passes gradually away to grey, Or the blaze of pink dawn A bright sunlit morn. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utter speech and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth...” (Psalm 19 v 1, 2, 3) Yet all this glory is silently given. Across one hemisphere the sun rises “To run its race...and its circuit to the other end; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.” (Psalm 19 v 6) The black sky maybe pink tinged, turns to blue, The lure which offers us a fresh start. In the sun’s warm track, we lack nothing Pertaining to food for our body, warmth for our soul, And for those who pray, new purpose for this day. Our re-birth in the Lord Jesus, sharing the blessings of His holiness, As consciousness will now awake In the light of the Lord Jesus to partake. Lord, dearest Father, we thank You for Your gift of each new day. May the day be a blessed time as we pray hoping to allow the light of the Lord Jesus’ love to be reflected by us. Silently given may His love be verbally and practically proclaimed. Let us be fully open to the impact and influence of the Holy Spirit, helping us to seize this day of fresh opportunity, happily confident that good will come of it. May the Spirit ever remind us that the past is behind, all faults and failings forgiven, if we believe in Jesus as our Saviour Brother. Tomorrow is unknown, so we should not worry about the possibility that things can go wrong, but keep praying for the kindness of Your love to be ever evident to us. You are in charge, not us! What we have is the gift of today to live in Your love as best we can, so as to make the love we are so richly blessed to receive from the Lord Jesus, assist us to be a blessing to others. May we always take the opportunity to pray first thing in the day, when all is still, silent. If we are to hear Your whispers, Father God, we need an attentive heart and ear attuned to You speaking in the silence. As You never ever fail to love and support, protect and promote us according to Your faithful kindness, may we do our best today and everyday to offer our love’s service in the name of Jesus. Each day and everyday filled by His friendship, attuned to the Holy Spirit who always works lovingly, is a day to be happy, truly contented. It is so, when the day is filled by godly purpose. Thank You for the glorious outcome of every life given to be a modern day disciple. May mankind not only be blessed by the benefits, but recognise from whom they come. I ask this in the Lord Jesus’ name, for He gave His entire life and even His death, as an act by which to delight and honour You, Father God, and all praise, all thanks ever be, as we share the benefits widely. Amen. 22.11.20 Sue O’Donnell
“Carry out my instructions; don’t forget them, for they will lead you to real living.” (Proverbs 4 v 13 TLB) Lord, fill us by Your Spirit as wisdom seeks us, speaks to us, That we can know Your will And sincerely follow it, perseveringly to fulfil. Be in us, Lord Jesus, Work through us, by Your Spirit, All to the glory of God, our Father. His will is Your will, Lord Jesus. Teach us by the Spirit, to focus on this. Reign in our hearts and minds, For we find You are Christ Jesus, As a Saviour born to us out of mercy, That Your kingdom comes entirely. “I will sing of mercy and justice; to You, O LORD, I will sing praises. I will behave wisely in a perfect way; oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.” (Psalm 101 v 1, 2) It is the Holy Spirit who helps us to be prayerful, Dutiful in our efforts to serve wholeheartedly, According to the godly skills well developed And the joy we experience in serving the Lord Jesus. For Lord Jesus, You showed us how You care To be for humanity, a Servant King, Your followers intended to bring glory to God, Both in words of praise and helpful deeds, Always but always, enhanced by the Holy Spirit, He who leads us into Your promised fullness, Lord Jesus, The peaceful joy and hope of holiness. It is You who makes us righteous and the Spirit supports this, That the power of holy love brings out the best in us. Should this not be our Advent’s focus? “If anyone does sin we have Someone who speaks to the Father in our defence, Jesus Christ – the One who is always right.” (1 John 2 v 1) “He is the sacrifice that was offered to cleanse us from sin and restore us to unity with God. He offered Himself, not only as the punishment for our sins, but also for the sins of everyone in the world.” (1 John 2 v 2) The Author of life, the Alpha and Omega of our faith, the Lord Jesus Christ, does by His Holy Spirit, enable us to sing Your praises with thanksgiving forever, Father God. Let us pray each day with rejoicing, alert to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, to draw nearer to the Lord Jesus in all the circumstances of our life. It is Your will for best reason that in everything we give You thanks. Let us then do so, empowered by the Holy Spirit and enthused by the love of the Lord Jesus. Amen. 04.12.20 Sue O’Donnell
“Be exalted O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be above all the earth.” (Psalm 57 v 11) Holy Spirit, Lord, be our Counsellor; An Adviser as to wisdom; A Teacher in all truth; An Advocate standing beside us; A Comforter as Paraclete; Our daily Helper in holiness. You continue the work of the Lord Jesus In us, with us, through us. Thank You for this anointing Your appointing us whilst teaching, You bring God’s Word to us, Both through Jesus and the sacred Scriptures. You reveal we have a Saviour, Who leads us together with You, Into all the ways of holiness. You help us to pray to ask for this, As we gain deeper insight into the gospel message. “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast.” (Psalm 57 v 7) Guiding us, chiding us as necessary, Daily You show us what to do, How to be godly in every situation And thankfully, You strengthen us As often as is necessary, vitally so, To carry this out so as to honour our Father. You consecrate us in the truth of Jesus, Who He is, all He clearly stands for, perfectly, And all He accomplishes for us, Both in an exemplary life and a sacrificial death. The fulfilment of our life of faith Will be the blessings unfolding, In encountering the Lord Jesus in friendship. As You, Holy Spirit, Lord, make this entirely possible. You show us our Brother as our Saviour. All praise ever be to the holy Trinity, All thanks expressed too, through You. “Cleanse my heart and my life, almighty God, that I may worthily proclaim Your holy Gospel.” (A prayer offered in a Mass of 16.05.20) “For God is my King from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.” (Psalm 74 v 12) Let us pray therefore. 27.01.21 Sue O’Donnell
“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” (Psalm 19 v 1-3) God made every leaf on every tree. He made you and He made me, all to be a family. God made the great expanse of space. He offered to us in Christ Jesus a loving embrace. God sent His Son to the human race to be the Word. He wanted love’s voice, through the Holy Spirit, to be heard. God gives life from His kingdom above, For He is the Lord of life and love. God set His rules for life to be blessed, He expects therefore, us to be our prayer led best. “All of you are to humble yourselves under God’s mighty hand of authority, so that in His time He will lift you up to be with Him.” (1 Peter 5 v 6 The Truth) “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5 v 17) Lord, by faith we see, hear and feel Your hand at work, realising then how concerned You are about us. Thank You for the extent of Your love towards us. In response, may we trust You sufficiently to deal with all our problems and pain, difficulty and anxiety, so much going wrong because we did not adhere to Your rules for life sufficiently, praying and obeying. Please help us to pray, so as to always set the record straight whenever life is impaired. When we are told “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity,” (Proverbs 7 v 17) should we not apply this to the Lord Jesus? He who is our lifetime’s faith Companion, as well as being our Saviour and Brother, He makes all the difference in life to us. How often do we contravene the teaching, saying “Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbour; and do not love a false oath.” (Zechariah 8 v 17) You tell us “ ‘For all false things I hate’.” (Cont.) May the love of the Lord Jesus, as shown us by the Holy Spirit, always draw us back on to the narrow, straight road of faith You set out for our own good. For it is when we are obedient to Your rule of life we are blessed fully. As we pray, please help us to become humbly, willingly, obedient, taking the stress of conflict between neighbours, friends, colleagues and families away from us. Father of mercies, look upon us mercifully when life is blighted by conflict. There is an answer in turning to the Lord Jesus, or else You would not have allowed the †. Let us honour You as the Creator of life and love, a Trinity who offer all that is pleasing to You and best for us, in this life to be lived in faith. “Let our roots grow down into Jesus and let our lives be built on Him. Then our faith will grow strong in the truth we were taught, and we will overflow with thankfulness.” (based on Colossians 2 v 7 NLT) For by this everybody will come to know that we are disciples of Your Word, dearest Father, as long as we share in the countless blessings of love which come from our faith in Christ Jesus. This is our Brother’s teaching (John 13 v 35) and this is His promise. Love will have no end when You send the Spirit of love, the Spirit of Jesus, Your very own Spirit to us. May we then “Devote ourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful,” (Colossians 4 v 2) and “In everything give thanks, for this is Your will for us in Christ Jesus,” (based on 1 Thessalonians 5 v 18) as we learn to live as one family of love. As You have saved us by Your special favour of sending the Lord Jesus to us, and when we believed in Him as Saviour, we become blessed by the Spirit, we are re-created anew. All thanks, all praise and all prayer ever be as we, Your masterpiece of creation, become equipped and enabled to do all those good things You planned for us long, long ago. “O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8 v 9) Your name as Father Creator and Re-Creator, Deliverer and Protector, as Christ Jesus, Lord and Saviour, the living and abiding Word, as the Holy Spirit, Lord and Helper, Purifier and Sanctifier. Let us ever give to You the glory due Your name as the Almighty Trinity who offer to us a life of truth, of goodness, of grace, of holiness. Please keep us praying that we can truly “Worship You, Lord, in the beauty of holiness.” (based on Psalm 96 v 9) “Among the gods there is none to compare with You, no great deeds to compare with Yours. All nations will come and adore You, Lord, and give glory to Your name. For You are great and do marvellous deeds, You, Lord God and none other.” (based on Psalm 86 v 8, 9, 10 TNJB) “Teach us, Lord, Your ways, that we may not stray from Your loyalty; let our hearts’ one aim be to reverence Your name,” (based on v 11) as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. “I thank You with all my heart, Lord my God, I will glorify Your name forever, for Your faithful love is so great that You have rescued me and all who believe in Jesus as Saviour, from the depths of Sheol.” (based on v 12, 13) “You, Lord, are a God of tenderness and mercy, slow to anger, rich in faithful love and loyalty.” (v 15) I ask You to keep us praying to express our need of Your saving help for all we get wrong. Please continue to show to us a “Sign of Your kindness” (v 17) which is the Lord of love and life, the Lord Jesus clearly here at work amongst us by the Holy Spirit, all to our benefit and Your delight, praise and glory. “Our enemies will see to their shame that You, Lord, help and console us”. (based on v 18) But I ask that out of Your mercy, Your Spirit so touches their heart with a personal experience of the love of the Lord Jesus, that they too will strive to give of their best by living in holiness. Thank You for allowing this prayer seeking grace and favour, to be heard and answered, for You are the Almighty, the God of our salvation, whose love is built to last forever, for You are steadfastly kind and merciful. “Saving Justice and Fair Judgment the foundation of Your throne, Faithful Love and Constancy march before You. How blessed the nation that learns to acclaim You! They will live, Lord God, in the light of Your presence.” (based on Psalm 89 v 14, 15 TNJB) Thank You. Amen. 08.11.20 Sue O’Donnell
“Now to Him, who loved us, gave us Every pledge that love could give, Freely shed His blood to save us, Gave His life that we might live; Be the Kingdom and dominion, And the glory, evermore.” (The GOLDEN TEXTBOOK) For we have a Saviour amongst us. He is the Christ Child born to Mary, Foretold by an angel, cared for by Joseph, And His name is most glorious. It is ‘JESUS’ meaning God is with us, And He, together with the Holy Spirit, A Trinity of love and mercy, The Trinity will save us from sinfulness, For they plan to sanctify us. “O God, send me Your Spirit to teach me what I am and what You are.” (St John Vianney) Life is a journey of discovery. Today is a new beginning, God’s blessing. Our Father is ever addressing us in Christ Jesus, The living, abiding Word of truth. The Saviour introduces us to our Father. The Holy Spirit introduces us to our Saviour, Making life a fully joyous process of discovery. Our life is bound up in love and mercy That one day we will be enabled to say: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course God had for me and I have been faithful. Now the crown of righteousness awaits me...” (2 Timothy 4 v 7, 8 The Truth) “To escape the distress caused by regret for the past or fear about the future, this is the rule to follow: Leave the past to the infinite mercy of God, the future to His good providence; give the present wholly to His love by being faithful to His grace.” (Jean-Pierre de Caussade) Let us pray with thanksgiving, as by being followers of the Lord Jesus, we learn to do this. We are a people of hope this New Year, gaining a new life, all thanks to the Lord God’s all loving, ever merciful kindness towards us. We are invited to experience true love which is holy, and the unsurpassable joy of Jesus’ friendship. Amen. 01.01.21 Sue O’Donnell
New year, new hopes, new dreams, New purpose living in Jesus. Seeking, finding, knowing, sharing, spreading His love In the resolve to serve our Father, Through our Lord and Master, by the Spirit. We have no merit of our own to offer. But conformed to the love of Christ Jesus, And nothing will be impossible, For all that is holy is accomplished lovingly. The Spirit of love and life is transformative. He evolves our will to decide upon godly purpose. The Spirit is our power to live well, Conforming ourselves prayerfully to Christ Jesus. Much has happened since His birth, More grace and favour is yet to come. “Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to You for refuge. I said to the LORD, ‘You are my Master! Every good thing I have comes from You’.” (Psalm 16 v 1, 2 NLT) When we depend upon the Holy Trinity, Building our life on the firm foundation Found in the love of Christ Jesus, God’s most precious, eternal gift to us. Reach out through our Saviour Brother. Reach out led by the prayerful, life shaping Spirit, Reaching to touch those in need we plead for. Let them be lifted into love’s security In knowing Christ Jesus and His will for us. New year, new hopes, new dreams. It seems all this is made possible By our Father’s loving concern for us, Acting in sending His Holy Spirit, To and through His beloved Son. It is in the Lord Jesus Our new purpose in life lies and depends upon Dearest Father, we are told that “It is by believing in your heart you are made right with God and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us ‘Anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced’.” (Romans 10 v 10, 11 NLT) For “ ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved’.” (v 13) Thank You for this revelation. May we be receptive pupils, ever open to the Holy Spirit’s impact upon us, enabling us to confess and proclaim that Jesus, the Christ, is Lord, Lord over us and Lord with us, in us. Thank You for our new life in Christ Jesus. It is His righteousness which works in our favour, working on our behalf. Christ’s saving work is our hope established in the homeland of heaven and our peace renewed as You forgive us all sinfulness. May our faith be ever active in daily life. The Lord Jesus winning love and mercy for us at the †is our confessed belief, the new covenant ratified by His blood shed that we be saved from sin, and death is conquered. We believe in the Lord Jesus’ resurrection and Your blessing is upon all believers. Thank You for the new purpose of serving in the holiness of Christ Jesus as motivated by the Holy Spirit. We are protected and provided for. “Show us the right path, O LORD; point out the road for us to follow. Lead us by Your truth and teach us, for You are the God who saves us. All day long we put our hope in You.” (Psalm 25 v 4, 5 NLT the singular invocation changed to plural) Lord, I read today “Waiting with hope is very difficult, but true patience is expressed when we must even wait for hope. I will have reached the point of greatest strength once I have learned to wait for hope.” (George Matheson) Our hope is in You, arising from, given shape by and affirmed according to our meeting with the Lord Jesus in friendship, blessed by the teaching of the Holy Spirit, the Life Giver. Thank You for this mercy. Out of Your steadfast loving kindness You chose to reveal Yourself to us in Christ Jesus, Your Word made Flesh. Then, that we might have access to You, seeking to share in the holy nature of our Saviour, You granted us the Holy Spirit. You spoke in many and varied ways to us by the prophets, but now You speak to us through the One we call Jesus, because He has come to save us from our sinfulness. Love in all its holy power is incarnated and we are fully blessed to possess this gift. Freed from the darkness of sin and death, we are raised up to life eternal. What a most glorious manifestation we gain in Christ Jesus, the new life, new purpose, holy Son, come to share with us. New dreams and fresh hope become ours as the Holy Spirit is released to work with us. Thank You so much for the New Year, containing new hopes, new dreams, new purpose living in Jesus, making Him our service in word and action, sharing and spreading His gospel Good News by means of the Holy Spirit. May we be successful so as to delight and honour You, dearest Father. All our hope is founded on the Trinity Amen. 16.01.21 Sue O’Donnell
The Lord Jesus is my focus, Or should be, it is necessary. But this is not so completely. Oh that it would be, My every thought and intention, According to His invitation, For divine love is exciting, rewarding, fulfilling. This love is life giving enhancing quality. Knowing Jesus blesses life with a holy purpose. He comes to us for this very reason, Season by season as we age. Courage is built on this revelation, The introspection of our heart and mind To find Jesus, offering friendship to us, How invaluable is this to my soul, My whole being with its body and spirit. For in the Lord Jesus, I merit God’s favour. I must, must savour this more! For in His way lies true happiness, our wholeness. Lord Jesus, be my focus more intently. Thank You for any progress I have made, But please take me forwards in our friendship. Complete the good You have started in me. Be my full life of worship, Lord Jesus, There is no other way to reach our Father. I would rather stand before Him pleading mercy, Because I claim Your victory at Calvary. Your sacrificial death and miraculous resurrection Are indeed God’s gift to me, to every believer. Lord Jesus, Lord of my holiness, be life to me. Make life in Your fullness my daily worship. I have nothing else of value to offer my Father, And it is vital to call upon His gracious mercy. Lord Jesus, come, be my Mentor and Saviour. What delight Your insight offers to us. Ever I will offer all praise and thanks for Your †. You are the employ of new life now and eternal joy. Yes, I long to make You my life’s focus. Lord Jesus, I realise that we are advised to store up heavenly riches for ourselves, though obedience and reverence honours the fact that “A (wo)man’s steps are of the LORD.” (Proverbs 20 v 24) But there is more to life than even this wisdom helpfully given. The proverb goes on to say “How then can a (wo)man understand his (her) own way” (Cont) and the answer is of course, we cannot, we need You! Please be the focus of mankind’s life. A biblical comment that really rings true for me, having stated the important of trusting, doing good and relying upon the faithfulness of the Trinity, then a hugely significant comment: “Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart,” (Psalm 37 v 4) which is Your love as empowered by the Holy Spirit, so as to delight and honour our Father. What truth this states. You know “The days of the upright” (v 18) and ensure their “Inheritance shall be forever.” (Cont) To know and love You as my forever Saviour, this is fullness of life to me. This is a life where I experience hope, peace and joy because of Your friendship. What an amazing blessing, thank You! I pray for my family and friends who have as yet, not experienced Your friendship and thereby the deep sense of contentment through worship. Please send Your anointing Spirit to give birth to, then maintain, their faith. We all need to trust in You, Lord Jesus, to know how to reach heaven in having lived to be made holy. Our Father “Has made His wonderful works to be remembered,” (Psalm 111 v 4) through You, by the Holy Spirit and no one should miss out on this. “Because Your loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You,” (Psalm 63 v 3) for You are life in all fullness experienced now and our hope of an eternally joyous existence. “My mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.” (v 5) “In the shadow of Your wings I rejoice,” (v 7) finding safety and security because Your holy life was sacrificed for us. I hope then that I adhere to You as closely as possible, my soul alert to my spirit’s experience of Your friendship. It is this blessing which invites us to rejoice in and rely upon our Father’s mercy. “Everyone who swears by Him shall glory” (v 11) for You are indeed our Saviour Brother, the promise of our Father, brought to us by the Holy Spirit, and forever our rejoicing I thank and praise You for this blessing of the faith building Spirit. I ask that He helps me to make You my life’s focus to the very best of my ability, that this be completely. Amen. 11.11.20 Sue O’Donnell
“Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! For He has done marvellous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.” (Psalm 98 v 1) Lord of our living, Lord of our dying; Lord of our hoping, Lord of our believing; Lord of our praying, Lord of our blessing; Lord of our trusting, Lord of our depending; Lord of our seeing, Lord of our understanding; Lord of our listening, Lord of our hearing; Lord of our walking, Lord of our talking; Lord of our being, Lord of our becoming. “The LORD has made known His salvation; His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations.” (Psalm 98 v 2) Lord of our desiring, Lord of our receiving; Lord of our beginning, Lord of our progressing; Lord of our calling, Lord of our sending; Lord of our addressing, Lord of our blessing; Lord of our questioning, Lord of our answering; Lord of our watching, Lord of our waiting; Lord of our singing, Lord of our rejoicing; Lord of our Christmas, Lord You are Christ Jesus! “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; break forth in song, rejoice and sing praises.” (Psalm 98 v 4) “He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.” (Psalm 98 v 3) “Joy to the world, the Lord has come! Let earth receive her King, Let every heart prepare Him room, And heaven and nature sing, And heaven and nature sing, And heaven, and heaven and nature sing.” (Opening of a Christmas Carol of Isaac Watts 1674-1748, based on Psalm 98) Please pray as we approach the New year, ever in need of a Saviour. Please pray for the Lord Jesus as Divine Healer, for the Corona Pandemic rages as fiercely as ever, but we have One to whom we can safely go! Please pray confidently, “Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4 v 6, 7 NLT) Amen. 31.12.20 Sue O’Donnell
“At the heart of every situation there is a lesson for you if you care to look for it and learn it. No matter how baffling outward appearances may be, try and think your way quietly through to the meaning. Be still and listen to what God is saying to you in the language of circumstances.” “Thoughts for Every Day” Patience Strong Lord, we struggle and strive Sometimes feeling we barely survive. Certainly we do not live in the fullness, That promise, the Lord Jesus gifts us. Why is this? Why so much daily worry and fret? Why do we not get better At practising living by faith? Why are we slow to learn, Too slow to put into practice The new understanding commanding faith? Is this a lack of resolve? Are we low in energy of commitment? Is this why the church supports Lent As a special season of preparation? What then would You have us learn? What should we yearn for? Of one thing I am truly certain, And this is the need to pray, To open up communication between heaven and earth. Prayer gives birth to our recognition And godly response to the holy wisdom, That truth the Lord Jesus faces us with. Living by faith, we must embrace the Master And all of His teaching. The Holy Spirit will open us To this calling of love You make. Take us forwards, dearest Father. Draw us to Yourself urgently. Let not this season of repentance be wasted. We were created for a purpose Which is lost unless we acknowledge You And all You do for us, In Christ Jesus, by the Holy Spirit. Then we can live life in a celebratory way, Filled with joyous expectancy, Of every grace, blessing and favour. We have a Saviour! Our claim is Christ Jesus. “Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim His greatness. Let the whole world know what He has done. Sing to Him; yes, sing His praises.” (1 Chronicles 16 v 8, 9 NLT) “Exult in His holy name; rejoice, you who worship the LORD. Search for the LORD and for His strength; continually seek Him.” (1 Chronicles 16 v 10, 11 NLT) We will, Lord God, we will! For we want to “Remember the wonders You have performed, Your miracles, and the rulings You have given.” (1 Chronicles 16 v 17) For our faith is our rejoicing. May we take nothing for granted amidst the multitude of Your blessings encouraging us to live by faith’s godly practices. Thank You that the Master seeks to serve us, day by day consistently. Jesus, the Christ, is Your living Word amongst us, Father God, of incredible mercy. Lent is a special season to count the blessings and repent of all failings and faults which are bedded firmly in. May these not overwhelm us, but be a stepping stone to grace. Thank You for the help in showing us we must live up to the truth of who we are and who You are as Saviour and Healer, a God of many, many favours, ever blessing the church on earth. Keep us safe in Your love, secure in Your mercy, confident in Your forgiveness. Let the power of holy love shine through our weaknesses. Thank You that You never abandon us. Inspire us through prayer and the sacraments to live with holy love in our hearts, as we live through the mystery of the Lord Jesus’ living and dying. Lord, hear and answer our urgent prayer for Lenten help and healing, making really ready for Easter joy and celebration. May justice and peace flourish amongst us. Forgive us all our trespasses, our failures to forgive and to reach out to all of those who are in any kind of need, especially those who seemed to be locked in unforgiveness. Forgive us when we count the cost of efforts made in Christ Jesus’ name as too costly, too hard, too challenging. Let us respond in love, to the love we have received from each Person of the Trinity. Forgive us all failures to love and respect all others. Forgive us from the greatest, most serious evil of turning away from You, dearest Father, for You created us to belong to You. May we pray and obey each day, making good progress in the realm of living in love and peace day by day. May we maintain and extend the Lord Jesus’ kingdom on earth, seeking to reflect His graced goodness. May we welcome and help all in need, ever calling on the name of Jesus, as the Holy Spirit prompts us to act or pray for specifics. We always are in debt to the holy love offered us and must reflect this. Make us open and welcoming, slow to anger or criticise. Heal our hurts and divisions as we seek to live in the peace, hope and joy the Lord Jesus gifts us in our reconciliation with You, Father. Dearest Father, You are a Trinity of love and peace. In You is our peace, thereby You gift us hope in Your love, forgiving our sinfulness. We long for You as our last end. In the meantime, comfort us with Your mercy, as we become increasingly fixed upon You and all You ask of us. Purify our hearts and please make us holy. May Lenten observance help us to rise above all our human weaknesses to fix our gaze upon Christ Jesus, in whom all hope, peace and joy is to be found. Let us live as Your sons and daughters, diligent in our faith’s practices, as we seek the holy. Put us on guard against all that is evil, for we cherish Your love for us, guiding us into the way of peace. Thank You for this, for Your Son and Your Spirit, for love, for peace, for hope, for joy, for the new life gifted us in the forgiveness Christ Jesus wins for us to obliterate all sinfulness. Let Your love shine through all our trials and temptations. Amen. 22.02.21 Sue O’Donnell
“Since we are surrounded by so great a crowd of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us...” (Hebrews 12 v 1) What is real Christian faith? Christian Faith is the outworking of life Lived through awareness of God’s goodness. Christian Faith is the belief, The assurance that God blesses us in Jesus. Christian Faith is the means by which We open ourselves to the Holy Spirit’s impact and inspiration. Christian Faith is our understanding Of love given in Jesus, as God’s influence and preference. “...looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12 v 2) Christian Faith is the way by which We live as a follower of Jesus. Christian Faith is asking and allowing The Holy Spirit to guide us. Christian Faith is developing a humility Which puts God at the centre of everything. Christian Faith is a purposeful direction, Leading us homewards to heaven. Christian Faith is a certainty in divine providence Without accidents or coincidences. “Everything comes from love, all is ordained for our salvation. God does nothing without this goal in mind.” (St Catherine of Siena) “Nothing can come but than what God wills, and it makes me very sure that whatsoever that be, seeing it never so bad in sight, it shall indeed be the best.” (St Thomas More) Lord, the goal of our Christian faith, please accompany us on our journey of faith, that by the teaching Spirit, we hold true all that we learn from the finest example of a pure life, that of the Lord Jesus. Stay with us, Lord God, in Your Son, by Your Spirit, to walk along the paths that lead to life. We must thank You for this, as we start to grasp Your eternal faithfulness towards us. “Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men! Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing.” (Psalm 107 v 21, 22) Thank You for Your wonderful work of our deliverance by means of the salvation won for us by the Lord Jesus, according to the work of the Spirit who corrects and counsels us, the Trinity bringing us “...out of darkness and the shadow of death.” (v 14) Thank You that the Spirit encourages us to believe in the Christian faith, by convincing us of the biblical narrative, of its authenticity and intrinsic value, showing us that the Lord Jesus is the living Word who manifests the written word of holy truth. The Spirit is the Spirit of peace because as we believe in Jesus as Lord and Saviour, the fullness of Your revelation to us, holy Father, we learn how to please and honour You by adhering as closely as is possible to Your will. In the Christian faith lies our eternal hope and our deepest peace, both of which in turn lead to fullness of joy in accepting the many marvels of Your love and forgiveness. We reach out to touch the love of Jesus and in His ascended and glorified divine nature, He sends us the promised Spirit to transform our life, moving us away from, setting us apart from, all that is evil, as long as we pray. Thank You for revealing to us the power behind praying in the highest, holiest name of the Lord Jesus, our Saviour. Thank You for the blessing of the Spirit of freedom found in the Lord Jesus. I ask that all believers in the Christian faith reverence You through the Spirit, active and effective in working with us, convincing us that Jesus the Saviour is Master over heaven and earth. Then, may Your glory shine through the countless ways that You bless us, a glory undiminished by sin, the deceit of satan and the lure of the world. Thank You for placing the full fullness of truth before us in the Lord Jesus, made possible by His and the Spirit’s guidance and mentoring, helping us to become good works in progress. The world needs this fullness of truth which is holy, to become its wisdom and means of reverence as developed through obedience. When we lodge our trust in the exemplary life and sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus, herein is our safekeeping. “For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end.” (Hebrews 3 v 14) A partaker is a partner, an associate. Our friendship with the Lord Jesus is such joy, thank You, as the Spirit of faith continues to deepen, strengthen and embolden our faith. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen,” (Hebrews 11 v 1) or not yet seen in the promised fullness we secure through the Spirit of knowledge, teaching us regarding the role and status of Jesus. This will follow in the heavenly destiny we are promised after dying, rising once more to the new and everlasting life salvation gifts us in the Lord Jesus, as long as we remain properly steadfast in faith, trust and dependency. Our Christian faith is, thank You, Father God, an established conviction coming from the Holy Spirit, as to the full meaning and purpose of the life and death of the Lord Jesus and our future reward in heaven. Our assurance rests on all Your promises dearest Father, as fulfilled for us by the Lord Jesus, established and developed by faithfulness in Christian service, according to the influence and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. May the Spirit breathe on us, live in us, act through us, defend us, strengthen us and empower us to pursue and live by the holiness the Lord Jesus offers us, always based on love. May our love desire above all else, to become as loving towards everyone as the finest example set for us by Jesus, that conformed to this, by the Spirit of love, we learn to love and forgive, to love mercifully more and more. Let the holiness of the Lord Jesus and His intercessory prayer for us – “ ‘For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth’,” (John 17 v 19) being kept well away from all that is evil, that Christians are set apart from the world’s mistaken ways, whilst at the same time working to reveal the truth found in the love of Jesus. Jesus has overcome the distress of sin at the † of forgiveness and prays not “ ‘...that You shall take us out of the word, but that You should keep us from the evil one’.” (v 15) To heed the devil in any way at all is disastrous as he is the father of lies, deception and despair. May the Spirit who is holy fill us top to toe with a devotion to Jesus, cleansing us. May He in purifying us of all that is wrong in attitudes, actions and language, make us into empty vessels awaiting filling with the Lord Jesus’ life of truth, of goodness, of the beauty of holiness. Jesus has to be the King of our heart and mind, of our will and conscience, of our Christian faith as the zealous Spirit is ever hard at work with us to develop our conformity to Jesus’ likeness. By this we will spread holy love across the wide world and the blessings of hope, peace and joy, the experience of meeting with Jesus as Saviour, living in Him as Lord, obeying Him as Master, all will be well, very well indeed. Amen. 01.08.20 Sue O’Donnell
''O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wonderful works. Now also when I am old and grey headed, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come.” Psalm 71 v 17,18l'
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