Commit: 1 John: Prayers and Poetry

                Commit 

                No matter how often

                we falter He abides

                in us. Waiting, listening

                

                for our hearts to remember

                His trust, words, and path

                ongoing every moment listening,

                for us to accept daily grace

                in love and commitment by

                gift of our Holy Spirit's foundation

                bound with love.

Psalm 107:15: "Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men,"

Reflection: Connect: 1 John: Prayers and Poetry

Reflection Questions 

        1. How often do we really acknowledge His commandment to abide in Him?    

        2. How often do we deliberately connect with the Holy Spirit and abide in trust? 

        3. How often do we believe in His love in action and abide in thankfulness?

Share: What was a special time when you spent a time abiding in Him, just to be with Him?

Connect: 1 John: Prayers and Poetry

Reading:1st John 3:23-24: "And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He has commanded us. And the one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And we know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us." 

Connects

Thank you for Your never-ending mercy to each of us, Lord, no matter how often we falter.

Thank you Holy Spirit for never leaving us no matter how dark choices attack or capture us.

Please keep us able to trust, and listen, and follow only on Your path and only in Your words.

Please also keep our loved ones experiencing Your love and grace to walk with You daily too.

Thy kingdom come.

Your thoughts,

 

Healings: 1 John: Prayers and Poetry

                Healings

                Truth 

                Mercy

                Commandment

                Forgiveness

                Truth

                Mercy

                Cleansing

                Forgiveness

                His truth ongoing

                guidance to turn from

                failure into confidence of

                His living love to heal.

Psalm 107:14: "He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, And broke their bands apart."

Reflection: Generosity: 1 John: Prayers and Poetry

 Reflection Questions

        1. When have you felt condemned by your own heart? Why?

        2. How did that turn in confidence by God? Why?

        3. What have you received from His assurance into your heart? To know keep always? Why?

Share: When in a darkened heart did you recognize His presence and turned into cleansing for truth to heal?

Generosity: 1 John: Prayers and Poetry

Reading: 1st John 3: 19-22: " We shall know by this that we are of the truth, and shall assure  our heart before Him. In whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart,  and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight."

Generosity

Lord,

we thank you for Your loving forgiveness of ongoing mercy and forgiveness.

we ask You to keep cleansing our hearts and souls and minds so that only Your truth lives within us.

we ask to learn how to share Your truth--Your kindness--Your honesty.

we ask to yield all we are to You and to be in Your light for ever.

Your thoughts,

Yokes: 1 John: Prayers and Poetry

                Yokes

                Too often we cringe 

                at the needs around us

                too busy, or too uncomfortable so

                allow excuses to turn away.

                Yet He never walks

                away from us no matter the

                yoke but offers kindness, words, deeds,

                and always stands in prayer.

                Today one of His beloved needs hope.

Psalm 107:13: "Then they  cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He saved them out of their distress."

Reflection: Necessitate: 1 John: Prayers and Poetry

Reflection Questions

        1. When has someone turned their heart against you when you were in need? What was the consequent? Physically, or emotionally, or both? 

        2. When have you turned your heart away from someone in need? Why? And how did it affect your own heart with that choice?

        3. How can we still help when we do not have the abilities to support in actions?

Share: When have you received kindness in even a small need that caused a kind gift of help?

Necessitate: 1 John: Prayers and Poetry

Reading: 1st John 3:16-18: We know love by this, that He laid done His life for us; and we ought to lay done our lives for the brethren. But who so ever has the world's goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

Necessitate

No matter the depth of lost.

No matter the depth of brokenness.

No matter the depth of cruelty.

He will heal, can heal, the seemingly impossible.

He will forgive, will restore, will open a new life.

He gave His life to save each one.

Thank you, Lord, for Your ongoing love to each one of us no matter how deeply we have wandered into darkness. In all situations that we fall into.

Thank you for Your kindness and mercy and love and healing and truth waiting to bring Your love into our hearts moment by moment.

Your thoughts,

Mercy: 1 John: Prayers and Poetry

                Mercy

                Pieces of rejection and

                misuse can speak

                into our hearts and thoughts

                pushing lies into hatred.

                Too often we forget

                the gift of resurrection mercy and

                protection within His grace can

                turn into healing souls.

                Power of redemption

                Power of calvary's cost

                Power of restoration

Psalm 107:12: "Therefore He humbled their heart with labor; They stumbled and there was none to help."  

Reflection: Hatred: 1 John: Prayers and Poetry

Reflection Questions

        1. Have you experienced a situation in your life where a person's hatred (from or to you) battled your life?

        2. How did you acknowledge your need  for healing and love even when the relationship could not be repaired yet?

        3. What words of mercy are now your truth when in confrontations?

Share: How do you lean into His light when hatred attacks for yourself or others?

Loyal: 1 John: Prayers and Poetry

                Loyal

                His love on solid ground 

                always ready--never empty

                yet too many lies within

                our thoughts or actions

                by others built barriers

                against trust and hope

                pulling us away except

                He stands firm to love us,

                lives within us, loyal forever.

                His Eternal solid ground.

Psalm 107:18: "Their soul abhorred all kinds of food; And they grew near to the gates of death."

Hatred: 1 John: Prayers and Poetry

Reading: 1st John 3:13-15: "Do not marvel, brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." 

Hatred

Thank-you, Lord, for Your gift of life that prepares us into Your truth and Your kingdom.

Through Your mercy please continue to remove any sins of hatred within us that still linger. Inward to ourselves or outward to others.

Through Your heart and words show us how to recognize another who is caught in contempt. And share Your gifts of healing and salvation to break their pain into restoration.

Thank-you for Your gifts of prayers that You will guide us into our new life. And that all our prayers will then teach us to follow Your light always.

Your thoughts,

Discern: 1 John: Prayers and Poetry

                Discern

                Truth over  lies

                righteousness over deceit

                honesty over manipulation

                is an ongoing battleground

                to keep alert and go

                deeper into actions

                to discern honesty

                and hear words of truth 

                then can recognize His message

                Truth over lies.

Psalm 107:11: "Because they had rebelled against the words of God, And spurned the counsel of the Most High."