“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
Grace
POETRY - Grace
Introducing our book: Listen Carefully to Me
A Listen Carefully to Me book extract: 31st May
It was grace that brought you thus this far, and My grace is sufficient even unto the end, the end of time. As you seek Me, you will find Me, ever more and more – in times of doubt and trouble as well as in times of joy and laughter and gladness.
GRACE - A SELECTON OF POEMS
“O LORD, don’t rebuke me in Your anger or discipline me in Your rage. Have compassion on me, LORD, for I am weak.” (Psalm 6 v 1 NLT) Lord, so often I have fallen. Time and time and time again I have slipped from grace. Due to carelessness I think, Rather than rebelliousness. But the result remained the same, I was foolish and I fell. Yet each time I fell from grace You acted. “I am sick at heart. How long, O LORD, until You restore me?” (Psalm 6 v 3 NLT) You stopped the fall by love’s embrace. How can I ever thank You sufficiently. For all You are to me, For all You lovingly do for me? How can I count the blessings, Of Your countless times of rescue? Nothing I say is sufficient. All I can do, will do, want to do, Is to show my love for You, responding to Your love. “Return, O LORD, and rescue me. Save me because of Your unfailing love.” (Psalm 6 v 4 NLT) Father, Son and Holy Spirit, You gift my life merit through You, By means of Your loving friendship. A relationship so powerfully strong, I know I belong to You in body, soul and spirit. So I claim my rescue. Your saving help offered me so graciously. “Go away, all you who do evil, for the LORD has heard my weeping.” (Psalm 6 v 8 NLT) That help not earned nor in any way deserved, All I can do is pray to offer my worship. Thank You for rescuing me from many a hardship. This shows me the power of holy love In all its strength, dependability and continuity. Please keep Your hand of protection on me, So often I have fallen, but not lost hope. “The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD will answer my prayer.” (Psalm 6 v 9 NLT) “May all my enemies be disgraced and terrified. May they suddenly turn back in shame.” (Psalm 6 v 10 NLT) Lord, please help me to pray my way through every difficulty, anxiety and fear. For when I pray, I can feel You near. “I come to You for protection, O LORD my God. Save me from my persecutors – rescue me!” (Psalm 7 v 1 NLT) Nobody else can. “Declare me righteous, O LORD” (v 8) not of myself, but because I belong to Christ Jesus, the Saviour. Living through Him “I am innocent, O Most High!” (v 8) Please hear my prayer and answer me daily. Amen. 05.02.21 Sue O’Donnell
“In Jesus’ life, in the unconditional devotion of Himself to men, the meaning of the world is present before us.” (Pope Benedict XVI) He takes your shame, Feels your blame, Carries your pain, He does it again and again. Wanting your life to reframe That God alone is your gain. For this reason Jesus came To live on earth, for it is not a game. He lived to die That was His fame, Then miraculously to live again. He healed the sick, He cured the lame, Alleviating any manner of pain. His love’s message does remain. “God is like the outpouring of light, the glimpse of the sun, or the changes of the weather, which are the same for everyone without exception.” (John Climacus) Holy love wiping out sins’ darkest stain This Son of God, Son of man, Our new life has now begun. Sin still clouds the day In its evil refrain But what He did, He does. It is ever the same. True love a force That will never wane He lived, He died, But not in vain. It is up to us To honour His name, And call on Christ Jesus Whose love is plain. “He will protect His faithful men...No one will succeed by strength alone.” (1 Samuel 2 v 9 NLT) “He increases the strength of His anointed one.” (1 Samuel 2 v 10 NLT) Dearest Father, truly I thank and praise You that we can all be anointed by grace, through our love for You shown by belief in Christ Jesus as activated by the Holy Spirit, who teaches us to live and love fully as best we can. Thank You for the Lord Jesus’ finest, highest example. May this ever motivate us to live to give love in Christ Jesus’ holy name. Thank You that He carried our shame to the †. We rejoice to be re-born, life made anew through the love You offer us in Christ Jesus, Your perfectly holy Son become Man to share in our human lot in all things but sin. May the † ever be set before us as the emblem of hope, hope in a better, brighter, holier future made possible for us whenever we claim Christ Jesus as Lord and Saviour, “The One who is the true light, who gives light to everyone...” (John 1 v 9 NLT) What a rich blessing His love is for us, thank You. “The Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness,” (John 1 v 14 NLT) reflecting Your all loving personality, Father God. “And we have seen His glory, the glory of being Your one and only Son” (based on v 14), able to adopt us into Your family through our newly given right standing. What a blessed status freely given! Thank You for Christ Jesus and the grace we are seeing. It is marvellous and most momentous. Amen. 05.02.21 Sue O’Donnell
“ ‘...that they all may become, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me’.” (John 17 v 21) Oh the blessings of grace, in Christ Jesus, Love’s fondest embrace in holiness. Oh the grace of blessing, in the Saviour. You ever addressing us, Lord God, thanks to our Brother. You afford us a glimpse of glory, Christ Jesus alive in us, In salvation’s true story, where forgiveness enables this. A narrative worthy of all praise to the Trinity. “ ‘Praise the LORD, call upon His name; declare His deeds among the peoples, make mention that His name is exalted.” (Isaiah 12 v 4) We are drawn to our Father of mercy, Through the love of the Lord Jesus our Saviour, According to the working of the Spirit of unity. We are invited to live within the Trinity, No more to be the scattered children of God. No longer must we live for ourselves independently, But to live for God, within love’s family. “Be exalted, O LORD, in Your own strength! We will sing and praise in Your power.” (Psalm 21 v 13) “You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel.” (Psalm 22 v 3) “Our fathers trusted in You, they trusted and You delivered them,” (Psalm 22 v 4) and later us, according to holy love’s mercy. Therefore “Now we live in Christ Jesus and belong to Him. Instead of living far away from God, we have been united with Him through what Jesus did by shedding His blood for us.” (based on Ephesians 2 v 13-18 the Truth) Therefore, please pray. 24.09.20 Sue O’Donnell
“I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being; may my meditation be sweet to Him, I will be glad in the LORD.” (Psalm 104 v 33, 34) This is the gladness which overcomes sins’ sadness. The Lord Jesus comes to live with us. Thank God for the Holy Eucharist, Strengthening our decided purpose to seek holiness, And live to obediently fulfil God’s will. It is the Spirit of our Father and the Son Which the ascended, glorified Christ Jesus sends to us, Developing our capacity to love at all times. “Above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘Love will cover a multitude of sins’.” (1 Peter 1 v 8) So we are prepared to forgive each other, To be reconciled, living harmoniously together. As the Lord Jesus, the Bread of Life feeds us, We are strengthened to share His holiness. It is because Jesus is the source of our spiritual strengths, That He gives Himself to us being all holy wisdom and truth. Oh, the manifold blessings of this Sacred Mystery, Our nourishment, faith’s incredible sacred replenishment. “Taste and see that the LORD is good.” (Psalm 34 v 8) Eternal life is birthed within us As we taste and see of God’s gracious goodness. We are being resurrected from our earlier life. Re-connected with our Father, by the Lord Jesus, According to the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit. We see Jesus, not visible before us, But in the transformation of our daily life, In our gratitude to God and attitude to each other. “Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him...Those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.” (Psalm 34 v 9, 10) Love, we discover, is our new life in Christ Jesus. He shares our life fully if we live prayerfully. Our transformation is the concrete experience Of a life given to be possessed by God’s promise, Never to abandon nor forsake us, but to be with us, Ever with us in His Son, by the Spirit. Offer then all thanks and praise for the life giving Eucharist. “Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage.” (Micah 7 v 18) “Bless the LORD, all His works, in all places of His dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!” (Psalm 103 v 22) We bless and thank You dearest Father, for sending Your Son to live and die for us, then having been resurrected, returning to You, He sends us the life changing Spirit. The Spirit in turn redirects our attention to the Lord Jesus, who He is, all He offers us and means to us, especially in the Holy Eucharist. This is the true Bread of life, that holy sustenance “...which strengthens man’s heart,” (Psalm 104 v 15) by reminding us of how sins are forgiven to grant us a new start in life. “May sinners be consumed from the earth, and the wicked be no more,” (Psalm 104 v 35) for we live anew through our holy Brother, our Saviour, our Lord. “Though we have never seen Him in the flesh, we love Him. Even though we cannot see Him physically now, we still believe in Him and are filled with a tremendous sense of glorious joy. For even now we are in the process of receiving the objective of our faith, the salvation of our soul.” (1 Peter 1 v 8 The Truth) An era of grace and favour has dawned upon us in our Saviour, as we live in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we have received this profoundest of blessings, I ask that we make a difference to society. May we have the mindsets of those who live on the Bread of Life, so are being prepared for a holy life given in service of each other. Let us celebrate and offer all thanks for the true love we discover in Jesus. Let us be, dearest Father, Your obedient children, who no longer give way to the worldliness and selfishness which marked out our life previously, when in ignorance of Your purpose for us. The Lord Jesus comes to show us another way to live and to teach us to pray, especially regarding our sinfulness. Thank You for the forgiveness we are offered at the †and in the daily Holy Eucharist. It is our Saviour Brother, who by the Spirit, enables us to live as those who know our time on earth is set apart for Your kingdom glory, Your purpose of holiness. We must strive to live a faultless life. May we then live in reverent awe, in the fear of displeasing and disappointing You, repenting when we go wrong, but still delighting to belong to the One who gifts fullness of life to us, the Lord Jesus. We have been redeemed from our empty way of life and are being prepared for an eternity of joy in the company of the Almighty Trinity. Let every day make a difference to our efforts, now we have a future laid out for us. We “Look to the future with both faith and hope, secure in our personal knowledge of You, Lord God, holy Father.” (based on 1 Peter 1 v 21 The Truth) We praise You for this grace given in the Lord who is our Saviour, and made real to us by the Spirit, who is our Sanctifier. As we have been born again, may we love others truly from the heart, living in, through and together with the One who is Your living and abiding Word of promise, our Saviour. The fullness of life offered us as we experience the friendship of our Saviour Brother, is not something we can create for ourselves, it is pure gift from heaven, freely given, to be rejoiced in because this results from love. Our emptiness is overcome. No longer does our life feel pointless, for we become prosperous in the life shared with Jesus, a life full of godly purpose, such a happiness. This is the fullness of love only You can gift us, dearest Father, choosing to do this in Your Son, by Your Spirit. We are graced to be recipients of a new life in the Lord Jesus, a life overflowing with love and its purpose. We are called to become more like the Lord Jesus when we see Him as He really is. May our partaking of His holy body and blood in the Sacred Mystery, go a long way to ensuring this, enabling us to watch and pray. Amen. 30.09.20 Sue O’Donnell
“The gift of His Spirit is a deposit from God that guarantees our inheritance and keeps us as those who are His possession, living in the power of His redeeming love. Yes, that we might live for His praise and glory!” (Ephesians 1 v 14 The Truth) The Holy Spirit of influence Is for our defence given. As the Paraclete, He stands beside us To help us to meet challenges And not be defeated by difficulty. For He is our Counsellor, our Adviser, Full of the wisdom and truth of holiness, Which He shares not only with Christ Jesus, But most lovingly with us, Out of genuine concern for our wellbeing. Seeing the Holy Spirit as a friend, An ever present Supporter and godly guidance, how good this is! “God, Holy Spirit, enkindles in me the fire of Your divine love.” (Author not known) Such a blessing readily is given. Why? Because our heavenly Father, Is a God of mercy, of steadfast loving kindness. He sends His Spirit to us By means of the risen, ascended and glorified One, His Son, who takes away our sinfulness, Gaining us a holiness which needs the Spirit’s support. Without this help we will be caught up again In all that the world demands of us. But with the influence of the Holy Spirit in Jesus, You will find your wishes for the holiness of faith, Become stronger, an ardent, driving desire. “Blessed is the (wo)man whom You instruct, O LORD, and teach out of Your law, that You may give him (her) rest from the days of adversity, until the pit is dug for the wicked.” (Psalm 94 v 12, 13) The nearer you grow to Jesus as Lord and Master, The more you will desire to share in His holiness. Thus the Holy Spirit develops our happiness. The power of heaven above has come upon us. Our fullest happiness is found in responding to the Spirit, Ever calling us to live in a firm friendship with Christ Jesus. Jesus, the living Word of God, comes to us in the Spirit. To search to look, to listen, to learn, pray! Invite the Spirit of faith to pray with you, To pray in you, through you, so you focus on Jesus as an eternal blessing. “The King will say ‘...You are blessed by My Father. So come and claim your inheritances, the Kingdom He prepared for you since creation began’.” (Matthew 25 v 34 The Truth) Jesus helps us to heed – as we clearly need to – The Spirit’s instruction, direction and request, That the best is yet to be, ever to be. Prayer time is shared and is vitally precious to us. For here the Son and the Spirit gift us time with our Father. To enter His heart of love, the pure love from above, Is to experience health, hope and happiness. All due to the share of holiness the Spirit gifts us in Jesus. Jesus as Lord, Word, Master, Saviour and Redeemer, Showing us how intensely, richly, we are loved. Love shared opens out endless opportunities for goodness. The goodness God graces life by, sharing His own holiness. “First of all, I urge you to pray for all people. Ask for God’s mercy to be upon them and pray with thanksgiving, even for kings and those in positions of authority, that we will be able to live in peace, stability and in godliness as His holy people.” (1 Timothy 2 v 1, 2, the Truth) “May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ impart grace and peace to you, everything you could ever need to be at one with Him and to serve Him faithfully.” (Romans 1 v 7 The Truth) Father God, salvation is made known to us only through accepting the living Word of Jesus as our Saviour, and for this we need the Holy Spirit’s instruction. He shows us Jesus as our life and resurrection, our forgiveness for all sinfulness, our established righteousness. Let us then, pray in all thanksgiving for the Lord Jesus, being our worship, as advanced by the Holy Spirit, through whom You grace life for us. thank You! Amen. 28.11. 20 Sue O’Donnell
“Blessed be Jesus in the most holy Sacrament of the altar.” (From “The Divine Praises”) Sacramentally present with us, Here is the body and blood of Christ Jesus, A sacred place, love’s warmest embrace, We receive of our Saviour intimately. He gifts His body to us fully Just as at the †of forgiveness. Jesus offers His blood to us, The vine mankind had grown, Harvested and presented sacrificially, Becoming miraculously, the blood of Jesus Christ, He who died was resurrected To be connected with us now. Jesus is our forever Saviour, Gifting His body and blood to us Exactly as He offered Himself at the †. What a sacrament of grace, True love’s fullest embrace. God’s loving mercy on all believers in Christ Jesus, The righteous – if that is any of us – And the sinners in need of forgiveness. We all stand in dire need of God’s mercy. Jesus has opened out for us a resolution, So special it is a revolution God given In steadfast loving kindness and all faithfulness. All thanks and praise ever be for our Saviour, Jesus the Christ, Offering us at the †and in the Holy Eucharist, The scandalous grace of healing love shaped by mercy. May we enter eternity to thank You unceasingly. “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8 v 1) “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8 v 2) You accomplished this Lord Jesus, by honouring our Father’s plan for our salvation and accepting the † for our forgiveness. Thank You seems such an inadequate response as the occasion is re-called during the Holy Eucharist when You come to us so intimately. In the Holy Eucharist, blessed by the will of our Father, Your loving kindness and the mysterious working of the Holy Spirit, we are united with You in an incomparable way. We praise You as our prized possession Lord Jesus. We possess You and You possess us! What a divine exchange Your and the Father’s Spirit works. “Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.” (From the Divine Praises). By this plan of salvation, the power of the Holy Spirit brings love to life. Partaking of You, Lord Jesus, we become temples where the Spirit can reside. May we neither say nor do anything to mar this. You have raised us to a royal status as sons and daughters of a King. But what a King You are, Lord Jesus, One who came to ransom us, pay the debt of our sin by serving our Father’s merciful purpose. Without Your life given for us, we could not be redeemed. But willingly You chose to live and die on the †for our forgiveness. We are called to be a holy, chosen people, saints in fact. May our partaking of Your most precious body and blood accomplish a blessing of the highest standard, preparing us to spend an eternity in heaven, praising with all thanksgiving for our becoming Your followers, Your witnesses, the Holy Spirit having enabled the gospel message of new life to go out to the far corners of the world. What an honour to be made an Ambassador working for a heavenly kingdom upon earth. Lord Jesus, may we never fail You in this. Daily let us pray to be filled by Your Spirit aligning our life with Your intentions. Jesus, Light of the world, ever please shine the light of Your love upon us in the Holy Eucharist. Without You, we have no hope of spiritual progress, of being the salt of the earth well able to favour life. Lord, giving fully of Yourself, You show us the way to live to delight and honour our Father. May we never impair this high calling making us servants like You. We need the Holy Spirit to steward us. As sons and daughters, we are called to be Your image-bearers. There can be no other way to develop a likeness to You in all things, this being the holiness You offer to share with us, than to develop our faith in a godly outcome. O Lord, dear Jesus, You do so much for us, it is hard to take in all we learn and have to put into practise. Please keep coming to us in the Holy Eucharist and please keep rendering love upon us through the Spirit of life. “The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it,” (Proverbs 10 v 22) thankfully. “To do evil is like sport to a fool, but a (wo)man of understanding has wisdom” (v 23) and we need this wisdom to combat the world, our errors of judgment and the works of the devil. “The desire of the righteous will be granted” (v 24) because Lord Jesus, You bring us fully into step with Your life enhancing Spirit of holiness seeking to bless everybody if only we would co-operate. We are asked to “Present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God,” (based on Romans 12 v 1) which is exactly what You did for us, Jesus Lord. So we must veer away from the world. May our holy communion with You enable this to happen consistently, not just when it suits us. “If it is possible, as much as depends on you,” we are told, “Live peaceably with all men.” (Romans 12 v 18) Well, You are our peace of mind and have gained in re-establishing our relationship with the love of our Father, through Your sacrifice. Thank You for showing us the Lord God is our Father who is “Ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abundant in kindness.” (Nehemiah 9 v 17) Our Father will never forsake us, for He has sent You to save us from death and an ongoing separation. “The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble and He knows those who trust in Him.” (Nahum 1 v 7) Lord Jesus, You are life to us, everything that we need to live contentedly, happy to be members of a world wide family under Your jurisdiction now, until one blessed day of God’s favour, we enter heaven. For all that You are and all that You do for us, especially at the † and in the Holy Eucharist, I praise and thank You. I hope the day will come when we are all believers, that “All Your works shall praise You O LORD, and Your saints shall bless You,” (Psalm 145 v 10) because of the tender mercy we meet with so regularly. Redeemed to be a chosen race we “Shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom” (v 11) as set up here on earth as well as the kingdom to come, for which You are the way there, all thanks to the enlightening, faith building Spirit. Let us ever talk of the amazing, life changing power of holy love offered in mercy, “To make known to the sons (and daughters) of men, Your mighty acts” (v 12) none greater than the sacrifice at the † and the ensuing sacramental presence You gift us in the Holy Eucharist. How majestic, almighty and most marvellous is this power of holy love meaning “Your dominion endures throughout all generations”. (v 13) Lord Jesus, life to us, the life of God that is, be then that life in us, flourishing according to the working of the Holy Spirit, always helping us to “Overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12 v 21) I ask this in Your name as Christ, the King of Glory, our Saviour, offering all thanks for helping us be “Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer,” (Romans 12 v 12) especially as we pray the Holy Eucharist. Amen. 21.09.20 Sue O’Donnell
“Understand what this one sacrifice has achieved: those who are being made holy, set apart for God He was made perfect already!” (Hebrews 10 v 14 The Truth) Sadly however, we mar this perfection continuously. Therefore our Father, out of mercy devised a rescue plan In Jesus Christ, hung on the † for us, To redeem our sinfulness, gaining us forgiveness. This merciful pardon is certain, given out of love for us. God forgives us because of what Jesus accomplished In living a perfect life, offering a sacrificial death. The sin which holds us captive is dealt a blow. satan is vanquished at the †of Jesus. It doesn’t seem so, you might well say For there is much evil in the world today, though disobedience. “The Holy Spirit explains this (one sacrifice) to us, for He says: ‘This is the covenant I will make with them in due course, says the Lord. I will place My commands in their hearts and will write them on their minds’.” (Hebrews 10 v 15, 16 The Truth) Salvation is secured for believers in Christ Jesus. The rest is up to us, to desire holiness. We must want to pray, obey and share in our Brother’s holiness. You cannot have holiness without Jesus’ closeness. This is why He lives in us through the Eucharist. Here hidden under the form of bread and wine, Jesus comes to us by the active Holy Spirit. Reconciliation and redemption work hand in hand, As do repentance and remorse of course. Certainly God wills to save us from final separation, damnation. The annihilation of our hope if eternally separated at death. “He says also: ‘I will never remember their sins and their acts of rebellion, against Me’.” (Hebrews 10 v 17) By living in Jesus, death is merely a passing From this stage of life to a far more glorious one. All thanks to God, our Brother and the Spirit Sanctifier. Forgiveness blesses us with the love and mercy of the Trinity. We have to be conscious of sin to seek deliverance. We have to speak of sin, confessing this To clear the way sincerely, apologetically, for God to forgive us. The Lord Jesus, the Christ, the promised Saviour, Has already accomplished all the rest. In the face of forgiveness there is no room for despair. God gifts us Jesus to save us, the Spirit to sanctify us. Advent is the season for decided hope through forgiveness. “For it is by the Spirit that we eagerly await the hope of our eternal acceptance by faith.” (Galatians 5 v 5 The Truth) “For in Christ Jesus...all that matters is that you have a life of faith that is expressed in a life of love for God and for others.” (Galatians 5 v 6 The Truth) We can accomplish this fully only if we pray. Please pray that in our renewed relationship with each Person of the Trinity, we show love and respect towards them by our godly attitude to each other. Please pray because “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4 v 19) as proved by our redemption at the †, the recalling of this in the Holy Eucharist, Jesus coming to us because we are forgiven. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to be an integral part of our life as Counsellor and Adviser, insisting that we live in the truth the Lord Jesus spells out to us. Please pray in recognition of our sorrow at spoiling the perfection our Lord God intended, grateful that “Once sins are forgiven; there is no need for any further sacrifice to rake away our sins”. (Hebrews 10 v 18 The Truth) For the love the Lord Jesus has for us completed His sacrifice and the Holy Spirit of truth reveals this to us. Advent is a time of hope, an awareness of our sins. and doing something about it is a vital part of growing in holiness. Although sorrowful, we have the certainty of forgiveness. Please pray, there is much to gain or lose. May the Holy Spirit show us our sinfulness in the light of love and mercy, a truly incredible, most wondrous love God has for us. Amen. 07.12.20 Sue O’Donnell
Christmas scenes are even better than wishful dreams For these depict the magic of Christmas it seems. A time God made for men, a time mysterious. Look at the pictures on the many happy cards’ message. You will not have to look far nor try very hard, To feel pleased, awed, happy, emotions stirred, For the days of Christmas cannot be sad, It is our Father’s plan we be contented and glad. There is Christmas passed, ages long ago. You will find good memories come with it, never to slow. Sledging, skating, carol singing, such joy, For all of us, not just a choir boy. Countryside rambling amidst crisp white snow, Then home to warmth, the fire a-glow. Out and about there is a magical air Even some trees will Christmas declare. Reindeer can in some places be seen, Whilst to visit Santa is every child’s dream Will he come on Christmas Eve? He will if whilst slumbering, young children believe. And what about the adults too, What firm belief has seen their year through? That on this most holy, holiest of special nights, God’s promise to mankind comes now into sight. The Child Jesus born to maiden Mary Is God’s own Son come amongst us, incredibly. A different perspective He will give to the world, His wish for our love to be ever unfurled. Did the golden glint light up the sky Announcing that Jesus’ birth was nigh? It seems angels appeared, a heavenly throng Shepherds hurried to see to whom we belong An air of mystery covered the Nativity. But seeking they found the Baby amidst poverty. God sent His Son however unworthy we feel, For holy love has a wide reaching appeal. Love that eradicates faults and failings, This true love is full of Christmas kind wishes. The Christ Child born for this very reason, Christmas sees the dawn of a glorious season. Oh the goodwill towards men that awaits us; Your peace given to earth in our Saviour’s birth. Thank You, dearest Father, ever loving, gifting us Yourself in Your Son, full of grace and truth. Profoundly we are blessed! An astonishing thing will happen. “ ‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD, ‘That I will raise David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper...’” (Jeremiah 23 v 5) The King of love is to be born to us as the Light of the world radiantly shining with love, a love true to all of us who believe in Jesus as our personal Saviour. By Your holy love You have graced life. “ ‘He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of His kingdom forever.” (2 Samuel 7 v 13) The Saviour Lord will be born to us as prophesied, coming from the royal line of David. Jesus is the hope, peace and joy of the Christmas season and beyond, for the whole world if only everybody would accept the truth. May the Holy Spirit convince us of this graced joy. Amen. 19.12.20 Sue O’Donnell
“Give your burdens to the LORD and He will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.” (Psalm 55 v 22 NLT) We cannot slip and fall entirely from grace, When those of us who belong to Christ Jesus Pray for mercy for the human race at large. Our prayer is heard and answered by our Father, Because He desires to honour His Son as Saviour. He was the One who took up a † for us, To gain us forgiveness as blood bought children of God. The sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus, Justifies our position as children in receipt of holy mercy. Oh the most glorious goodness of the Almighty Trinity, One in love’s healing, fortifying life giving power. We are saved, then sanctified accordingly, All because we belong to Christ Jesus Who lived and died for us, all to make us holy. That is why, although we still stumble and trip, We will not fall from grace entirely. We have a Brother who is our Saviour. “ ‘...You are to name Him JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins’.” (Matthew 1 v 21 NLT) “ ‘...they will call Him Immanuel, which means God is with us’.” (Matthew 1 v 23 NLT) Let us pray with thanksgiving to our Father gifting us a Saviour who is a Brother, One we can readily recognise and turn to. Let us pray gratefully as the Lord Jesus is our burden Bearer. Let us pray in appreciation of the fact that we could know none of this without the power of the indwelling Spirit of wisdom and truth. Please pray to offer thanks for the mercy by which we gain help with the weight of our worries, our fears, all sorts of anxieties. Please pray gratefully that the Holy Spirit teaches us not to worry, but to accept in all that happens, for better, for worse, nothing stands outside of God’s sovereign power. Please pray in anticipation of the blessings unfolding because of prayer! Please pray in gratitude for the peace that arises through living in the love of Christ Jesus. Please pray with thanksgiving for being so close to the Saviour, we can hear His heart beat of love reflecting our Father’s mercy. Please pray to acknowledge how our Saviour Brother, by the Holy Spirit, can and does iron out problems. Please pray, continuing to ask for help to recognise the signal of unease when things are moving in the wrong direction. Please pray in appreciation of the perfect peace found in our sins’ release through merciful forgiveness, the grace won for us by Christ on the †. Please pray happily for the help of decision making, safeguarded successfully by the Holy Spirit, always resulting well. Please pray to acknowledge how important holy wisdom and truth is, as taught us by the Lord Jesus, and made active and effective within us by the Holy Spirit, He, who like the Father and the Son, is nothing but love and mercy offered us. Please pray to state the joys of our faith’s trusting dependency, all its glorious outcomes. Amen. 22.02.21 Sue O’Donnell
“Be equally confident then, that the process of salvation will continue in the future, that at the judgment which is to come, we will be saved from God’s anger, because of Jesus’ great love for us.” (Romans 5 v 9 The Truth) Grace in all its holiness is Cleansing, Forgiveness, Healing and Blessing. Who would not want this to happen? For grace is God’s embrace Given us in Jesus, By means of the Spirit, All through love, Just this, just love, our hope. “Such hope does not end in disappointment because God has already filled our hearts with His love through His Holy Spirit whom He has given to live within us.” (Romans 5 v 5 The Truth) This love addresses us entirely In body, soul and spirit, Emotionally and relationally, Freely given at Calvary. The Lord Jesus lived Then died for us To lift us from our sinfulness. He came to rescue us, To save us from sinfulness, To redeem mankind. “You understand that at God’s appointed time Christ died for all the ungodly. He did this while we were still powerless to please Him because of all our sins.” (Romans 5 v 6 The Truth) Love we find, Love that is true, Always has a holy purpose. Holy love is majestic, Mighty and most marvellous. Grace is love in action, The real attraction of faith. Jesus, our Saviour is love’s endeavour, Chiding us gently by the Spirit, Then leading us into the way of peace, That peace arising from release of our sinfulness. “How great the love that God has demonstrated in sending His Son to die for us, while we were still sinners and unacceptable to Him!” (Romans 5 v 8 The Truth) Graciously our new life Is spiritually gifted by God, In the almighty power of holy love, Full of forgiveness offered in mercy. An amazing, life giving mercy, We have a forever Saviour! Grace is God’s goodness towards us; Calling us to share in His divine nature As revealed to us by the Lord Jesus, Made real to us by the Holy Spirit of our newness, He who strives to bring us to Jesus. Jesus as Saviour offers us a fullness Not previously known, but now graciously shown. “We come then to this wonderful conclusion. We have been brought back into right relationship with God, and made completely acceptable to Him, through our faith in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 5 v 1 The Truth) “Through Him we now have peace with God and all the blessings of His grace are made available to us by means of our faith. We stand daily in the flow of God’s free gifts to us and we can rejoice that a greater revelation of His glory awaits us. This is our sure and certain hope.” (Romans 5 v 2 The Truth) Dearest Father, how we praise and thank You for the free gift of graced forgiveness and the eternal life the holiness of the Lord Jesus, sacrificed at the † of Calvary, which was freely won for us, granting us such hope. We hope in a brighter, better, holier future for mankind now in this the holy kingdom on earth the Lord Jesus came to establish, and in the promise of an eternal future in heaven, richly blessed by the company of the Holy Trinity. Father, You are our Provider, Saviour, Redeemer and Protector, all through the grace given us by the Lord Jesus and the industrious, life saving work of the Holy Spirit, zealous for our salvation. We used to be at enmity with You, but this position has been reconciled at the Lord Jesus’ † at Calvary where He took on our punishment, dying in our place. All praise, all thanks, all glory ever, ever be that the Lord Jesus’ “Death has brought about our reconciliation; so we can be confident that the life He has given us will continue the work of salvation within our lives.” (Romans 5 v 10 The Truth) We rejoice to be re-established as one with You, this being made possible by the Lord Jesus’ exemplary life and perfect, sacrificial death, graced as our right standing before You, according to the faith building Spirit. We have indeed become a new creation; the Lord Jesus’ ongoing work in progress! Thank You so much! May we ever proclaim these mighty works, whereby You have called us out of darkness into Your wonderful light, the Light of Jesus’ love for us, Your love and the Spirit’s love. What grace and blessing we have received! Through the power of holy love generously, freely given us, we know we are set at liberty from satan, Your love being kindly and most generous, bestowing a new dignity upon us as brothers and sisters of Jesus, by means of our faith which trusts in and depends upon the power of holy love. Together as a Trinity, we rejoice to receive You as our Saviour and Sanctifier, You as a holy Three, working as One in love’s total harmony, a call we should never resist to respond to. I pray for those who as yet, have not heard Your call. May we all open our life to the impact and influence of the Holy Spirit of love, transforming the way we live to be the way the Lord Jesus modelled for us, a transformation which love alone can explain. Life and love are Your first gifts to us. I am sorry when we spoil this, our faults usually due to selfish self- centredness. We are in continuous need of the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit. May He counsel us. Let the Spirit teach us to place all our concern onto the broad shoulders of the Lord Jesus, that we can become holier by means of all He teaches us and the Holy Spirit reveals to us regarding the pursuit of holiness, always found in the consolation of Your love and mercy. May our outreach be after the fruit of the Spirit developed as we turn to Jesus as Saviour, Lord, Word and Master, such a wondrous love freely gifted us, thank You, Father God of all grace. “Hear us when we call, O God of our righteousness. You have relieved us in our distress; have mercy on us and hear our prayer” (Psalm 4 v 1 the singular invocation made plural) especially when we ask for the repair of all our faults and failings, that power of holy love which covers all our sinfulness at the † of Jesus. “Create in us a clean heart O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within us. Do not cast us from Your holy presence,” for we would be lost indeed without our Saviour, “And do not take Your Holy Spirit from us.” (Psalm 51 v 10, 11 changed to the plural) Whenever we do stray, as this happens all too easily, please continue to be gracious towards us. “Restore to us the joy of Your salvation and uphold us by Your generous Spirit,” (v 12 changed to plural) so graciously given by our Saviour Brother’s return to heaven where He is ever glorified. I ask this for by means of our faith, in the love You as a Trinity, hold out to us, we “Will teach transgressors Your ways and sinners shall be converted to You,” (v 13) by grace, through mercy. What You ask of us, Lord God is “...a broken spirit,” ( v 17) our resistance to all things holy broken by the gracious power of Your love and mercy. “A broken and contrite heart – these, O God, You will not despise,” (Cont). thankfully. Please grant us the grace to follow in the all loving, ever loving example of the Lord Jesus, that we become better conformed to His likeness by living as He did, always looking to allow love to rule our thoughts, decisions, words and actions, the Holy Spirit safeguarding us. Holy Spirit, Lord, burning with love for us, impress upon us the seal of holy love that we live worthily, serving well, and doing to no one evil for evil, fearing not except for the concern not to honour anything nor anyone higher than the holy Trinity. When we are weak willed, make us stronger through our friendship with the Lord Jesus; when we are anxious, quieten our racing mind as we pray; when we are searching for answers, let the power of holy love discern the way forwards, as Your will enthuses us and joy invades us. By means of our faith move us forwards in all aspects of holiness which is love at work, lest we be merely a “...sounding brass or clanging cymbal.” (1 Corinthians 13 v 1) We seek for the power of holy love to qualify us as followers of the Lord Jesus. Teach us please to pray to satisfy every need of mankind, especially those who are really struggling in life. May our love, the love of the Lord Jesus, given by You, Holy Spirit, Lord, be their daily support and outreach. May we all come to accept this wondrous power of holy love freely given us, a love which comforts, consoles, upholds, reassures and re-establishes us on the solid ground of Christianity, that place resting in the heart of love. The Lord Jesus offers us this place for He is nearest to Your Father heart of love, Lord God, our Protector. May we all come to know that nothing is impossible for us when living through Jesus, however challenging the circumstance. Jesus is Lord and Conqueror over all that is evil, always giving of Himself to us, freely. It is through the love of the Lord Jesus, as made real to us by You, Holy Spirit, Lord and Sanctifier, “...the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.” (2 Corinthians 1 v 20 NIV) This is our ardent desire. Thank You for showing us the Lord Jesus as the way to live, Him being the consistent living Word of God, ever available to us as the fulfilment of all of Your promises made to us, all loving, merciful Father. It is from the fullness of Your grace made available to us in Jesus, we have received countless blessings, flowing like clear water. We will then approach the throne of grace confidently, prayerfully whatever our need. For all praise, all thanks, all glory ever, ever be. “The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,” (Titus 2 v 11) affording us a blessed hope and ensuring our Christian discipleship. All praise, all thanks ever be to You, Lord God and Father of the Lord Jesus, Gifter of the Holy Spirit, for You have blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus, by means of our faith. How gracious You are and how merciful! Amen. 08.07.20 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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