Sue O’Donnell. 20.01.21
“The One who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world...So that Word became human and made His home among us.” (John 1 v 9, 14 NLT)
Jesus the Christ,
Our light and life,
Our help and hope,
Our will and wisdom,
Our trust and truth,
Our salvation and sanctity,
Our protection and peace,
Our faith and future,
Our plan and purpose,
Our provision and progression,
Our mercy and marvel,
Our prayer and profession,
Our grace and goodness,
Our heaven and holiness,
Our astonishment and amazement,
Our wish and worship,
Our covenant and commitment,
Our effort and endeavour,
Our benefit and blessing,
Jesus, the fullness.
“He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son... From His abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another...He has revealed God to us.” (John 1 v 14, 16, 18 NLT)
God is with us,
In the Spirit of holiness.
Our prompt and persuasion,
Our impact and inspiration,
Our guidance and governance,
Our motivation and movement,
Our persuasion and purification,
Our listening and learning,
Our study and success,
Our knowledge and nourishment,
Our exploration and explanation,
Our decision and development,
Our commitment and constancy,
Our safety and security,
Our reflection and response,
Our meditation and movement,
Our becoming and belonging,
Our will and willingness,
Our effort and energy,
Our enterprise and endeavour.
“In that day, the branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious; the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of all who survive in Israel.” (Isaiah 4 v 2 NLT)
“ ‘I am the true grapevine and My Father is the Gardener. He cuts off every branch of Mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.
You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in Me, and I will remain in you.” (John 15 v 1-4 NLT)
Lord Jesus, the most glorious promise of restoration, as long as we believe in Him, trust in Him, depend upon Him, affirm Him and consult Him, allowing His love to astound us.
For this we need to turn to the faith building, life giving, hope ensuring, love offering, peace establishing, godly impact and influence of the Holy Spirit.
Father of love and mercy, where do I start, for as a Trinity, You are inseparable. Is it that when I approach One of You, I am actually receiving the blessing of all Three? I think it must be as You are inseparable. You
are the Father of every mercy and it is a delight to discover this.
You gift us Yourself in Your Son, love manifest in a recognisable form and for this, truly I thank and praise You. Without the Lord Jesus we would be lost to Your love and mercy.
But then too, we need the Holy Spirit, the Enlightener, the Illuminator, the Life Giver. “O God, send me Your Spirit to teach me what I am and what You are,” (St John Vianney) and to learn the art of discernment.
I need to know what is Your will, Your wish, Your way and I realise that I learn this best through studying the sacred Scriptures, and praying to deepen my relationship with each Person of the Trinity.
But even then, at times, I am not clear with seemingly good ideas, what is of You and what is of me. Please keep my looking to and learning from Your Son and Your Spirit. May I be an attentive, receptive pupil.
I must remain in Christ Jesus, who came in Your perfect timing, remaining in our fallen world after His resurrection, as our forever Saviour. Thank You that we always have someone to turn to for help, guidance
and inspiration.
Just as the Lord Jesus was fully animated by the Holy Spirit, dedicating His entire life to You, dearest Father, may the Spirit impact powerfully upon us, teaching us to love at all times, in all places, however challenging this can be. Your Spirit is a lovingly faithful Spirit and we thank You for this support. It is invaluable as we seek to serve You in the love of Jesus.
Jesus is our faith’s reference point, our understanding of holy knowledge, our practise in holy wisdom, our ability to live by the truth, His truth, the universal truth. Thank You for helping us to become holy in this
way.
You want us to be holy, because You as a Trinity are three holy Persons, fully united in thought, word and deed, intent upon making us holy. To be within Your family, we just strive to become holy.
Please bless our endeavours and efforts, our prayer and practices undertaken in the highest name of the Lord Jesus, He who is the King of Glory set over us, yet always wanting to befriend us. For He does not call us ‘Servants’ but ‘Friends’.
What an honour and privilege, thank You. Our life of holiness is bound up in Jesus living through us by the Holy Spirit. Thank You for everything that makes this possible, especially prayers, biblical study and
implementation and the Holy Eucharist.
We receive the most precious body of the Lord Jesus to nourish our faith, to enthuse our pursuit of holiness and to bless our efforts at service in His name. What a profound blessing, thank You.
The Holy Spirit in changing the wine in the chalice, transubstantiates this to the very blood the Lord Jesus poured out at the †for our forgiveness, purification and sanctification. This is truly amazing! We esteem Your efforts on our behalf in all of this, merciful Father.
Keep us praying please, that we make a real effort to progress in all the ways of holiness, the right way to live that we all experience the Lord Jesus’ hope, the peace He brings and the fullness of life He promises.
May the Holy Spirit of hope ever be at work with us, supporting and strengthening our faith that hope, Christian hope that is, is our motto. ‘It will be alright because Christ Jesus is with us.’ We know this banner
over us is love.
This is holy love which is patient and enduring as the Holy Spirit of Jesus, Your own Spirit, Father God, becomes our inner force, a power, a fusion between us and each Person of the Trinity.
We are a part of a mystery which is truly a marvel, mankind being made holy, in the Son, by the Spirit, according to Your plan and purpose, Father God. Salvation is ours to claim, graciously given with astonishing, fully life changing results.
May we then stride out in a sure faith, ever with the Lord Jesus beside us, the Holy Spirit within us, seeking Lord God, Abba, to be Your complete pride and joy. Thank that the Trinity means life to us. Let this ever be
in all holiness to the praise and glory of Your all loving majesty. Amen.
Images by Artist Christine Garwood
http://www.christinegarwoodartist.co.uk/
Season
Key Themes
SANCTIFICATION
PROMISE
