Presence

“Come to me all you who are burdened and I will give you rest”. (Matthew 11:28). Here I am, Lord. I come to seek Your presence. I long for Your healing power.

Freedom

Lord, I pray for Your gift of freedom.
May Your Holy Spirit
guide those in power to work for
true justice for all Your people.

Consciousness

Help me, Lord, to be more conscious of Your presence.
Teach me to recognise Your presence in others.
Fill my heart with gratitude for the times Your Love has been shown to me through the care of others.

The Word of God

³¹“If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. ³²There is another who testifies on my behalf, and I know that his testimony to me is true. ³³You sent messengers to John, and he testified to the truth. ³⁴Not that I accept such human testimony, but I say these things so that you may be saved. ³⁵He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. ³⁶But I have a testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father has given me to complete, the very works that I am doing, testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. ³⁷And the Father who sent me has himself testified on my behalf. You have never heard his voice or seen his form, ³⁸and you do not have his word abiding in you, because you do not believe him whom he has sent.

³⁹“You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life, and it is they that testify on my behalf. ⁴⁰Yet you refuse to come to me to have life. ⁴¹I do not accept glory from humans. ⁴²But I know that you do not have the love of God in you. ⁴³I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; if another comes in his own name, you will accept him. ⁴⁴How can you believe when you accept glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the one who alone is God?^{, 45}Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope. ⁴⁶If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. ⁴⁷But if you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?”

Inspiration

What we do defines who and what we are more than any words we may use. Jesus told Pilate that he had come to witness to the truth. He did this not only through what he preached but even more by what he did. ‘The very works that I am doing testify to me.’ Jesus told us that his disciples are those who do the will of his Father, not those who call out, ‘Lord, Lord.’ We ask God to help us to be true to the name of his Son and to ourselves by how we live.

In his love for his enemies Jesus tried hard to save them but they deliberately closed their ears and hearts to him. To reject Jesus Christ is to reject the One who sent him. Here Jesus tells them, ‘I know you do not have the love of God in you.’ Let us pray for a greater love of God.

Conversation

Conversation requires talking and listening.
As I talk to Jesus may I also learn to be still and listen.
I picture the gentleness in His eyes
and the smile full of love as He gazes on me.
I can be totally honest with Jesus as I tell Him of my worries and my cares.
I will open up my heart to Him as I tell Him of my fears and my doubts.
I will ask Him to help me to place myself fully in His care,
to abandon myself to Him,
knowing that He always wants what is best for me.

Conclusion

I thank God for His gift of love
as I go forth with joy and hope
to serve His people.

Amen