Sue O’Donnell. 14.02.21
“We know that the Son of God has come, and He has given us an understanding so that we can know the true God.” (1 John 5 v 20 NLT)
Jesus, our Healer, our Saviour, our Brother.
Jesus our Redeemer, our Restorer, God’s favour.
It is in Jesus as Lord, we discover
The most wondrous love and mercy of God, our Father.
This love is one of self- giving.
We call it agape, the true love in everyday.
This is gifted us in Christ Jesus,
Because this is a way we can recognise
And want to respond to continuously.
The Lord Jesus is life in all fullness to us
But not only now, amazingly eternally too.
All of this comes through the mercy of God,
Being brought to us, taught to us, by God’s Spirit.
He who conceived and gave birth to Christ Jesus.
The Spirit of love comes to live within us.
He changes our life’s focus entirely, day by day.
Certainly this day marked as Saint Valentine’s Day,
Must be a day to pray with thanksgiving,
For the power of holy love made our own,
To name and claim through our Saviour Brother,
This is the true love which makes the world holy.
“And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God and He is eternal life.” (1 John 5 v 20 NLT)
Our world will roll on day by day smoothly, if Spirit led,
According to the plan and purpose of the Almighty.
The love gifted us in Christ Jesus,
Always but always carries the purpose of holiness.
For our venerable Father, wise beyond knowledge,
Knows that without holiness there is no real happiness.
There will be fleeting moments of light-heartedness,
But nothing to equal the most joyous experience
Of a life spent in close friendship with Christ Jesus,
The One by whom we worship and grow.
Grow to know the loving grace of God, the Almighty,
As true love’s embrace, offered us in Christ Jesus,
Made effectively powerful, life changingly so,
As we grow in faith to know to call on the Holy Spirit.
For He is the Spirit of love, you see,
Bringing true love into the ascendancy,
Each and every time we, as family, focus on Jesus.
Yes, focus on God’s Son, the perfectly holy One,
And we will find combined holiness with happiness.
Let us then offer all thanks for Christ Jesus
And go on bended knee reverently, to offer our thanks.
“We know what real love is because Jesus gave up His life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.” (1 John 3 v 16 NLT)
“Let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.” (1 John 3 v 18 NLT)
Let us pray that these actions will always be holy because they are based on the Lord Jesus’ example and the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, dedication and guidance.
Let us pray to be as selflessly loving, reverent and obedient as the Lord Jesus at all times, in all circumstances.
For “Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with Him” (1 John 3 v 24 NLT) all thanks be to the Lord Jesus, and the gift of salvation, “And He with them.” (Cont)
Let us offer our thanks that “We know He lives in us because the Spirit He gave us lives in us.” (Cont)
Let us pray to lead a fully loving life, to “Keep away from anything that might take God’s place in our hearts,” (1 John 5 v 21 NLT) replacing true love.
Let us pray because “God is love, and all who live in love live in God and God lives in them” (1 John 4 v 16) even if none believers do not recognise this as yet.
Let us pray that they will come to understand and see clearly how true love and mercy are offered us by our Father, through the life and death of Christ Jesus as revealed to us by the Holy Spirit.
Let us pray and acknowledge His victory at the † gaining our forgiveness, how this opens the gateway of eternal joy to us.
“Praise the LORD, all you nations. Praise Him, all you people of the earth. For He loves us with unfailing love; the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever”, (Psalm 117 v 1 NLT) because in His Son we have a Saviour.
Let us pray and say “The LORD is my strength and my song; He has given me the victory” (Psalm 118 v 14 NLT) over sin and death.
Let us pray, “Open for me the gates where the righteous enter,” (v 19) through the love of our Saviour Brother “And I will go in and thank the LORD.” (Cont)
Let us pray in gratitude, for “The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
This is the LORD’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.” (Psalm 118 v 21, 22 NLT)
Let us pray for today, this special day of Saint Valentine. “ ‘This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it,” (v 24) having been shown what true love is, how it acts, all it can do.
Let us pray knowing “The is real love – not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” (1 John 4 v 10 NLT)
Let us pray to love each Person of the Trinity, for they have loved us in the first place.
Let us pray especially, because “If we love each other, God lives in us, and His love is brought to full expression in us.” (v 12)
“And God has given us His Spirit” that Spirit of love, the Spirit of the Father and the Son, given “As proof that we live in Him and He in us,” (v 13) when we live the love like the Lord Jesus. “We love each other
because He first loved us.” (v 19)
Let us pray with thanksgiving and praise for learning how much the Lord God loves us, by His Son, in the Spirit, gifting us a love that has no fear, “...because perfect love expels all fear.” (v 18)
Let us pray to offer warmest thanks for the love of Jesus, activated sand animated by the Spirit, according to our Father’s will and wishes, and the result is holiness.
“We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them.” (1 John 5 v 18 NLT)
Let us pray to ever exalt and extol the highest, holiest name of Christ Jesus. Amen
Images by Artist Christine Garwood
http://www.christinegarwoodartist.co.uk/
Season
Key Themes
LOVE
