Sue O’Donnell. 10.12.20
“To You who hear prayer, to You all flesh will come.” (Psalm 65 v 2)
A flourishing faith is joyously life enhancing,
All because according to Jesus’ teaching:
Love is growing amongst us;
Forgiveness becomes readily available;
Mercy is our daily testimony;
Sharing is our natural way of living;
Self giving is no longer challenging;
Prayer is a happy obligation;
Veneration is as natural as breathing;
We heed the Holy Spirit realistically;
Our focus is on the Lord Jesus continuously;
We ask of our Father rather than being independent;
The vigour of new life is our gospel joy;
Jesus’ presence in our midst is our contentment;
We follow in the footsteps of our Brother;
Liberty is the gift of Christ Jesus.
“ ‘For you are a holy people to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth’.” (Deuteronomy 14 v 2)
The forgiveness we did not earn is shared;
Perseverance is the courage Spirit given;
We respond to the call to serve in holiness;
In this holiness lies our true happiness;
Jesus is the bright Light ever shining in love’s mercy;
Jesus is the Good Shepherd leading us;
Jesus is the bread and wine of the Holy Eucharist;
The reality of love and mercy come to us at Christmas;
The Saviour and Sanctifier never, ever leave us;
Sighing and sorrow shall flee away as we pray;
Wisdom and truth are gifted us in Christ Jesus;
Fairness and justice are the outcome of holiness;
Hope and peace too, are the message of holy love shown us;
All the details of everyday life are under holy guidance;
No longer does any resentment, jealousy or envy rule us;
We rejoice in the goodness the Son and Spirit share with us.
“Among the gods there is no one to compare with You. All nations will come and adore You, Lord, and give glory to Your name. For You are great and do marvellous deeds, You, God, and none other.” (Psalm 86 v 8, 9, 10 TNJB)
“Teach me, LORD, Your ways that I may not stray from Your loyalty; let my heart’s one aim be to fear Your name.” (Psalm 86 v 11 TNJB)
“I thank You with all my heart, Lord my God, I will glorify Your name forever, for Your faithful love for me is so great that You have rescued me from the depths of Sheol.” (Psalm 86 v 12, 13 TNJB)
Being a “God of tenderness and mercy, slow to anger, rich in faithful love and loyalty” (v 15) You act as You promised You would, sending the Lord Jesus to us at Christmas, to be recognised and claimed as the Saviour of the world, our Redeemer.
“My enemies will see to their shame that You, Lord, help and counsel me.” (v 18) Therefore all praise, all thanks should ever be expressed for the Christmas joy of Christ Jesus, changing the world forever for us by
means of the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier.
Enfolded in Your love by the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit, life becomes fully blessed, richly endowed by our prayer based efforts to make real progress in holiness. Advent is such a time for this, for however far we have progressed in holiness, there is room for much more! Please continue to inspire us by the Lord Jesus and to impact upon us by His and Your Spirit of holiness.
“I shall sing of Your faithful love forever LORD, from age to age my lips shall declare Your constancy, for You have said love is built to last for ever, You have fixed Your constancy firm in the heavens,”
(Psalm 89 v 1, 2) and reflected this upon earth from our Saviour’s birth.
Praise ever, ever be for Your kindness, Your loyalty, Your steadfast faithfulness towards us. Faith in Christ Jesus is the firm rock upon which our faith stands as we open our hearts, minds, will and conscience to the
Holy Spirit of prayer.
Thank You that prayer helps to shape us. Prayer enables us to confidently, expectantly claim the fulfilment of all You have promised us, faithful Father. May we remain continuously committed to prayer that we can share every aspect of daily life with the Lord Jesus, nothing held back nor hidden.
“My heart is confident, O God, my heart is confident I want to sing and make music,” (Psalm 57 v 7 GNT) for my highest, fullest, truest rejoicing is in the love and mercy You manifest towards us in the life,
death and resurrection of Jesus and how this influences and involves us by the working of the Holy Spirit.
May our love for each other grow as our faith flourishes.
Let us pray to make ready for Christmas, to offer the Christ Child a glad welcome into our far too secular, hedonistic world of today, where there is insufficient prayer offered. We will never grow to know Jesus as
Brother, Friend, Saviour, Redeemer and Shepherd, unless we spend quality time with Him, praying as led by the Holy Spirit.
Come Holy Spirit, breathe a renewed faith in Jesus upon us. Please grant us the grace to overflow with love for our Saviour, a love expressed in words of adoration and admiration and veneration, particularly in service
in whatever way we are Spirit led to do this.
Holy Spirit Lord, may all our thoughts, plans, decisions, actions, efforts become holy, because You strengthen us so powerfully with the life energising love of the Trinity. This is the true love which develops our hope, our peace and our joy, for we come to realise that any efforts made to serve without love are pointless.
Come, please possess us so fully the Lord Jesus’ teaching will never go unheard nor unheeded because His love is vital if all is to be well now during Advent, at Christmas or at any time at all. We absolutely have to live by the wisdom and truth which are holy, shaping life in the full goodness of our Father’s love, grace and merciful forgiveness.
Thank You for convicting us of sin and showing us where to turn to for help and healing, Jesus being the Divine Healer repealing all our ills however they are shaped. Thank You that God’s mercy means nothing is
placed beyond the reach of redemptive love. We are a people most blessed. Amen.
Images by Artist Christine Garwood
http://www.christinegarwoodartist.co.uk/
Season
Key Themes
JOY
BLESSED
