Accept His Offer To Rescue You!!!

One Sunday, the church's pastor slowly stood up walked over to the pulpit and, before he gave his sermon for the evening, briefly introduced a guest minister who was in the service that evening.

In the introduction, the pastor told the congregation that the guest minister was one of his dearest childhood friends and that he wanted him to have a few moments to greet the church and share whatever he felt would be appropriate for the service. With that, an elderly man stepped up to the pulpit and began to speak.

‘A father, his son, and a friend of his son were sailing off the pacific coast,' he began. ‘Soon a fast approaching storm blocked any attempt to get back to the shore. The waves were so high, that even though the father was an experienced sailor, he could not keep the boat upright and the three were swept into the ocean as the boat capsized.’ The old man hesitated for a moment, making eye contact with two teenagers, who were for the first time since the service began, looking somewhat interested in his story.

The aged minister continued with his story, 'grabbing a rescue line, the father had to make the most excruciating decision of his life: to which boy would he throw the other end of the lifeline. He only had seconds to make the decision. The father knew that his son was a Christian and he knew that his son’s friend was not. The agony of his decision could not be matched by the torrent of waves as the father yelled out,’ 'I love you, son!'

‘He threw out the lifeline to his son's friend. By the time the father had pulled the friend back to the capsized boat, his son had disappeared beneath the raging swells into the black of night. His body was never recovered.’ By this time, the two teenagers were sitting up straight in the pew, anxiously waiting for the next words to come out of the old minister’s mouth. ‘The father,’ he continued, ‘knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus and he could not bear the thought of his son's friend stepping into eternity without Jesus… Therefore, he sacrificed his son to save the son’s friend. ‘How great is the love of God That He should do the same for us? Our heavenly father sacrificed His only begotten son that we could be saved. I urge you to accept His offer to rescue you and take a hold of the lifeline He is throwing out to you in this service.’ With that, the old man turned and sat back down in his chair as silence filled the room.

The pastor walked slowly to the pulpit and delivered a brief sermon with an invitation at the end. Within minutes after the service ended, the two teenagers were at the old man's side. ‘That was a nice story,’ one of them said politely, ‘but I don't think it was very realistic for a father to give up his only son's life in hopes that the other boy would become a Christian.’

‘Well, you've got a point there’, the old man replied, glancing down at his worn bible. A big smile broadened his narrow face. He looked up at the boys and said, ‘it sure isn’t very realistic, is it?, But I'm standing here today to tell you that story gives me a glimpse of what it must have been like for God to give up his son for me you see...

I was that father and your pastor is my son's friend.

An Intimate Message From God To You

My Child,

You may not know me, but I know everything about you. PSALMS 139:1 I know when you sit down and when you rise up PSALMS 139:2. I am familiar with all your ways PSALMS 139:3. Even the very hairs on your head are numbered, MATTHEW 10:29-31 for you were made in my image GENESIS 1:27. In me you live and move and have your being. You are my offspring. ACTS 17:28 I knew you even before you were conceived. JEREMIAH 1:4-5 I choose you when I planned creation. EPHESIANS 1:11-12 You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. PSALMS 139:15-16 I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live ACTS 17:26 You are fearfully and wonderfully made. PSALMS 139:14 I knit you together in your mother’s womb. PSALMS 139:13 And brought you forth on the day you were born. PSALMS 71:6 I have been misrepresented by those who don’t know me. JOHN 8:41-44 I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love. 1JOHN 4:16 And it is my desire to lavish my love on you. 1JOHN 3:1 Simply because you are my child and I am your Father, 1JOHN 3:2 I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. MATTHEW 6:31-33 My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. JEREMIAH 32:41 And I want to show you great and marvelous things. JEREMIAH 33:3 If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me. DEUTERONOMY 4:29 Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart. PSALMS 37:4 For it is I who gave you those desires. PHILLIPPIANS 2:13 I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine. EPHESIANS 3:20 For I am your greatest encourager. 2 THESSALONIANS 2:16-17 I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles. 2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-4 When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. PSALMS 34:18 As a Shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart. ISAIAH 40:11 One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes. REVELATION 21:4-5. And I’ll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth. REVELATION 21:3-4 I am your Father and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus. JOHN 17:23 For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. JOHN 17:26 He is the exact representation of my being. HEBREWS 1:3 He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you. ROMANS 8:31 and to tell you that I am not counting your sins. 2 CORINTHIANS 5:18-19 Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. 2 CORINTHIANS 5:18-19 His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you. 1 JOHN 4:10 I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love. ROMANS 8:31-32 If you receive the gift of my son Jesus you receive me. 1 JOHN 2:23 And nothing will ever separate you from my love again. ROMANS 8:38-39 Come home and I’ll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen LUKE 15:7

Almighty God

Would you like to come home???

"Just Checking In"

A minister passing through his church In the middle of the day, Decided to pause by the altar And see who had come to pray. Just then the back door opened, A man came down the aisle, The minister frowned as he saw The man hadn't shaved in a while. His shirt was kinda shabby And his coat was worn and frayed, The man knelt, he bowed his head, Then rose and walked away. In the days that followed, Each noon time came this chap, Each time he knelt just for a moment, A lunch pail in his lap. Well, the minister's suspicions grew, With robbery a main fear, He decided to stop the man and ask him, 'What are you doing here?' The old man said, he worked down the road. Lunch was half an hour. Lunchtime was his prayer time, For finding strength and power. 'I stay only moments, see, Because the factory is so far away; As I kneel here talking to the Lord, This is kinda what I say: 'I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD, HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN, SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHERS FRIENDSHIP AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN. DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY. SO, JESUS, THIS IS JIM CHECKING IN TODAY.' The minister feeling foolish, Told Jim, that was fine. He told the man he was welcome To come and pray just anytime Time to go, Jim smiled, said 'Thanks.' He hurried to the door. The minister knelt at the altar, He'd never done it before. His cold heart melted, warmed with love, And met with Jesus there. As the tears flowed, in his heart, He repeated old Jim's prayer: 'I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD, HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN, SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHERS FRIENDSHIP AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN. I DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY. SO, JESUS, THIS IS ME CHECKING IN TODAY.' Past noon one day, the minister noticed That old Jim hadn't come. As more days passed without Jim, He began to worry some. At the factory, he asked about him, Learning he was ill. The hospital staff was worried, But he'd given them a thrill. The week that Jim was with them, Brought changes in the ward. His smiles, a joy contagious. Changed people, were his reward. The head nurse couldn't understand Why Jim was so glad, When no flowers, calls or cards came, Not a visitor he had. The minister stayed by his bed, He voiced the nurse's concern: No friends came to show they cared. He had nowhere to turn. Looking surprised, old Jim spoke Up and with a winsome smile; 'the nurse is wrong, she couldn't know, That he's in here all the while Everyday at noon He's here, A dear friend of mine, you see, He sits right down, takes my hand, Leans over and says to me: 'I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, JIM, HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN, SINCE WE FOUND THIS FRIENDSHIP, AND I TOOK AWAY YOUR SIN. ALWAYS LOVE TO HEAR YOU PRAY, I THINK ABOUT YOU EACH DAY, AND SO JIM, THIS IS JESUS CHECKING IN TODAY.'

Prayer Knocks, Fasting Obtains, Mercy Receives

There are three things, my brethren, by which faith stands firm, devotion remains constant, and virtue endures. They are prayer, fasting and mercy. Prayer knocks at the door, fasting obtains, mercy receives. Prayer, mercy and fasting: these three are one, and they give life to each other.

Fasting is the soul of prayer, mercy is the lifeblood of fasting. Let no one try to separate them; they cannot be separated. If you have only one of them or not all together, you have nothing. So if you pray, fast; if you fast, show mercy; if you want your petition to be heard, hear the petition of others. If you do not close your ear to others you open God’s ear to yourself.

When you fast, see the fasting of others. If you want God to know that you are hungry, know that another is hungry. If you hope for mercy, show mercy. If you look for kindness, show kindness. If you want to receive, give. If you ask for yourself what you deny to others, your asking is a mockery.

Let this be the pattern for all men when they practise mercy: show mercy to others in the same way, with the same generosity, with the same promptness, as you want others to show mercy to you.

Therefore, let prayer, mercy and fasting be one single plea to God on our behalf, one speech in our defence, a threefold united prayer in our favour.

Let us use fasting to make up for what we have lost by despising others. Let us offer our souls in sacrifice by means of fasting. There is nothing more pleasing that we can offer to God, as the psalmist said in prophecy: A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; God does not despise a bruised and humbled heart.

Offer your soul to God, make him an oblation of your fasting, so that your soul may be a pure offering, a holy sacrifice, a living victim, remaining your own and at the same time made over to God. Whoever fails to give this to God will not be excused, for if you are to give him yourself you are never without the means of giving.

To make these acceptable, mercy must be added. Fasting bears no fruit unless it is watered by mercy. Fasting dries up when mercy dries up. Mercy is to fasting as rain is to earth. However much you may cultivate your heart, clear the soil of your nature, root out vices, sow virtues, if you do not release the springs of mercy, your fasting will bear no fruit.

When you fast, if your mercy is thin your harvest will be thin; when you fast, what you pour out in mercy overflows into your barn. Therefore, do not lose by saving, but gather in by scattering. Give to the poor, and you give to yourself. You will not be allowed to keep what you have refused to give to others.

--St. Peter Chrysologus, bishop

The Universal Prayer

Lord, I believe in you: increase my faith.

I trust in you: strengthen my trust.

I love you: let me love you more and more.

I am sorry for my sins: deepen my sorrow.

I worship you as my first beginning,

I long for you as my last end,

I praise you as my constant helper,

And call on you as my loving protector.

Guide me by your wisdom,

Correct me with your justice,

Comfort me with your mercy,

Protect me with your power.

I offer you, Lord, my thoughts: to be fixed on you;

My words: to have you for their theme;

My actions: to reflect my love for you;

My sufferings: to be endured for your greater glory.

I want to do what you ask of me:

In the way you ask,

For as long as you ask,

Because you ask it.

Lord, enlighten my understanding,

Strengthen my will,

Purify my heart,

and make me holy.

Help me to repent of my past sins

And to resist temptation in the future.

Help me to rise above my human weaknesses

And to grow stronger as a Christian.

Let me love you, my Lord and my God,

And see myself as I really am:

A pilgrim in this world,

A Christian called to respect and love

All whose lives I touch,

Those under my authority,

My friends and my enemies.

Help me to conquer anger with gentleness,

Greed by generosity,

Apathy by fervor.

Help me to forget myself

And reach out toward others.

Make me prudent in planning,

Courageous in taking risks.

Make me patient in suffering, unassuming in prosperity.

Keep me, Lord, attentive at prayer,

Temperate in food and drink,

Diligent in my work,

Firm in my good intentions.

Let my conscience be clear,

My conduct without fault,

My speech blameless,

My life well-ordered.

Put me on guard against my human weaknesses.

Let me cherish your love for me,

Keep your law,

And come at last to your salvation.

Teach me to realize that this world is passing,

That my true future is the happiness of heaven,

That life on earth is short,

And the life to come eternal.

Help me to prepare for death

With a proper fear of judgment,

But a greater trust in your goodness.

Lead me safely through death

To the endless joy of heaven.

Grant this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

The Prayer --- You Are Christ

You are Christ,

my Holy Father,

my Tender God,

my Great King,

my Good Shepherd,

my Only Master,

my Best Helper,

my Most Beautiful and my Beloved,

my Living Bread,

my Priest Forever,

my Leader to my Country,

my True Light,

my Holy Sweetness,

my Straight Way,

my Excellent Wisdom,

my Pure Simplicity,

my Peaceful Harmony,

my Entire Protection,

my Good Portion,

my Everlasting Salvation.

Christ Jesus, Sweet Lord,

why have I ever loved,

why in my whole life

have I ever desired anything except You,

Jesus my God?

Where was I when I was not in spirit with You?

Now, from this time forth,

do you, all my desires, grow hot,

and flow out upon the Lord Jesus:

run... you have been tardy until now;

hasten where you are going;

seek Whom you are seeking.

O, Jesus may he who loves You

not be an anathema;

may he who loves You

not be filled with bitterness.

O, Sweet Jesus,

may every good feeling that is fitted for Your praise,

love You, delight in You, adore You!

God of my heart,

and my Portion, Christ Jesus,

may my heart faint away in spirit,

and may You be my Life within me!

May the live coal of Your Love

grow hot within my spirit

and break forth into a perfect fire;

may it burn incessantly on the altar of my heart;

may it glow in my innermost being;

may it blaze in hidden recesses of my soul;

and in the days of my consummation

may I be found consummated with You!

Amen.

-- St. Augustine of Hippo

Lenten Prayer

O God, you are the source of all goodness and all compassion:

you have shown us a remedy for sin

in fasting, prayer and acts of charity.

Accept our humble confession.

We are bent over under the load of our conscience:

by your mercy make us upright again.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God for ever and ever.

Amen.

Be shepherds like the Lord

You were made in the image of God. If then you wish to resemble him, follow his example. Since the very name you bear as Christians is a profession of love for men, imitate the love of Christ.

Reflect for a moment on the wealth of his kindness. Before he came as a man to be among men, he sent John the Baptist to preach repentance and lead men to practise it. John himself was preceded by the prophets, who were to teach the people to repent, to return to God and to amend their lives. Then Christ came himself, and with his own lips cried out: Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. How did he receive those who listened to his call? He readily forgave them their sins; he freed them instantly from all that troubled them. The Word made them holy; the Spirit set his seal on them. The old Adam was buried in the waters of baptism; the new man was reborn to the vigour of grace.

What was the result? Those who had been God’s enemies became his friends, those estranged from him became his sons, those who did not know him came to worship and love him.

Let us then be shepherds like the Lord. We must meditate on the Gospel, and as we see in this mirror the example of zeal and loving kindness, we should become thoroughly schooled in these virtues.

For there, obscurely, in the form of a parable, we see a shepherd who had a hundred sheep. When one of them was separated from the flock and lost its way, that shepherd did not remain with the sheep who kept together at pasture. No, he went off to look for the stray. He crossed many valleys and thickets, he climbed great and towering mountains, he spent much time and labour in wandering through solitary places until at last he found his sheep.

When he found it, he did not chastise it; he did not use rough blows to drive it back, but gently placed it on his own shoulders and carried it back to the flock. He took greater joy in this one sheep, lost and found, than in all the others.

Let us look more closely at the hidden meaning of this parable. The sheep is more than a sheep, the shepherd more than a shepherd. They are examples enshrining holy truths. They teach us that we should not look on men as lost or beyond hope; we should not abandon them when they are in danger or be slow to come to their help. When they turn away from the right path and wander, we must lead them back, and rejoice at their return, welcoming them back into the company of those who lead good and holy lives.

--St. Asterius of Amasea, bishop

Prayer of St. Jerome

Lord, show me your mercy

and make my heart glad.
I am like the man going to Jericho
wounded by robbers:
Good Samaritan, come help me.
I am like the sheep gone astray:
Good Shepherd, come seek me
and bring me home safe.
Let me dwell in your house all my days
and praise you forever. Amen.

---St. Jerome
("Not knowing Scriptures, is not knowing Christ")

But God Says.....

Sometimes we say, "It's impossible."

But Jesus says in Luke 18:27, " Things that are impossible for men are possible for God."

Sometimes we say, "I'm too tired."
But Jesus says in Matthew 11:28, "Come to me all you who labour and are overburdened and I will give you rest."

Sometimes we say, "Nobody really loves me."
But Jesus says in John 3:16, "God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son."

Sometimes we say, "I can't go on."

But Jesus told St. Paul in, 2 Corinthians 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness."

Sometimes we say, "I can't figure things out."

But in Proverbs 20:24 we read, that God guides human steps.

Sometimes we say, "I can't do it."
But St. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Sometimes we say, "I'm not able."
But St.Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 9:8, "There is no limit to the blessings which God can send you-- He will make sure that you will always have all you need for yourselves in every possible circumstance, and still have something to share for all sorts of good works."

Sometimes we say, "I can't forgive myself."
But St.Paul wrote in Romans 8:1, "Those who are in Christ Jesus are not condemned, the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.

Sometimes we say, "I can't manage."
But St.Paul wrote in Philippians 4:19, "God will fulfill all your needs in Christ Jesus as lavishly as only God can."

Sometimes we say, "I'm afraid."
But St.Paul tells us in, 2 Timothy 1:7, "God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline."

Sometimes we say, "I'm always worried and frustrated."
But St.Peter wrote in, 1Peter 5:7, "Unload all your worries onto God because he cares for you."

Sometimes we say, "I'm not smart enough."
But St.Paul wrote in, 1 Corithians 1:30, "God has mde you members of Christ Jesus and He is our wisdom."

Sometimes we say, "I feel all alone."
But God says in Deuteronomy 31:6 and Hebrews 13:5
"Never Will I Leave You Nor Forsake You."