| It’s Lent. Would you pray with me? Dear Lord God, It’s Lent. On this occasion we take a breathe of fresh air and,with fullness of heart, submit to your Lordship. It’s becauseyou are worthy, and our utmost trust is in you, your beloved Son, and the Spirit. We want to become more like your beloved Son.We want to develop the resolution, vision, and strength Jesus had.In the process, we need to be ourselves, not lose track of our uniqueidentity, and come on as authentic persons—yet redeemed. It’s Lent. We readily submit! In fact, we surrender. We withhold nothing from you, dear Lord! Totally forgive us all our sins. Renewand cleanse us inside and out. Make us ready as prayer warriors to do sacred battle with the Evil One, and yet, not lose track of being in the world, and yet, not of the world. Lord, take possession of our total being. In upcoming days, inclineour hearts to your indwelling presence, speaking to the deepest part of who we are…and who we can be. Help us to slow down sufficiently to be able to clearly hear your voice…to take full advantage of the very reason we—intellect, heart and soul—can fully honor you, while we focus in on your gentle means to draw us near. As we like to be treated, help us to treat others likewise… We promise to set aside things we normally would put first—to reflect upon your divine nature and our human condition—and allow you access to our inmost being. We need transformation. What is it, Lord, you have been trying to communicate with us? Thank you, Lord, for loving us and inviting us to share in your great salvation, yes, your call to our lives that we may be agentsof divine compassion. We ready ourselves for the journey. In Jesus’ name,Amen. the message Remarkable! It’s right there in plain sight…right there inSaint Paul’s Letter to the Romans…chapter 10 and verse 9… …if you confess with your mouth… “Jesus is Lord” …and believe in your heart that Godthe Father raised Him from the dead… you will be saved. …saved… …hmm!?! […”saved” or “salvation” – The American Heritage College Dictionary (2002) defines “salvation” as:(1) preservation, or deliverance from destruction,difficulty, or evil; (2) deliverance from the poweror penalty of sin, (3) redemption, that is, recoveryof something mortgaged, payment of somethingransomed, security for repayment of an obligation.] We get it, Lord. We want to be saved and weneed to be saved. We are grateful for blessed”security” provided us by the Lord Jesus Christ,who gave Himself as a perfect, sufficient sacrifice to save us all from our sins…yes, many… Lord, we accept your kind offer. We acknowledge our sin, and God the Father will take it all from us for the sake of His Son. Jesus died for what weshould have been punished for. We need notsuffer any longer for the pain, many times, we have caused to others and to ourselves. A good, powerful confession along the wayclears the deck for us…smooth sailing fora brilliant, eventful future… We can start anew. The horizon is bright for usbecause of Jesus and what He did for us… what He can still do for us…daily…for eternity… Our response will be no “dry” acceptance. We truly love you for accomplishing what wecould not accomplish by or for ourselves…the salvation of our souls…a worthwhile life…a comfortable dwelling place in everlasting life… Obviously there are only two conditions torecognize in getting right with God andreceiving the assurance of eternal life… [1] confessing our sins and confessingthat Christ is Lord of our particular life… (…not affirming that Jesus lived at one timeor making friends with Jesus, or acceptinghis death as some small gesture, but ratherallowing Jesus to take Lordship…) deeply comprehending that the slate iswiped absolutely clean for us, spotlessto the extend of pure stainless white… [2] truly believing that death could not holdHim down and therefore He arose bythe majestic power of the Father… As Lord Yahweh through Moses brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt…As Ezra and Nehemiah brought the Jewsout of bondage in Babylon to Jerusalem…the Lord brings us out of our bondage topossessions, addiction, selfishness, fame,greed, foolishness, self-centerness, food, endless entertainment—whatever—into a life of service to humanity, precious relationships with other believers, loving relationships withnon-believers, and the blessed assurance that nothing can separate us from the love of God. I can do nothing but praise God for the powerfulcomments of Saint Paul in that tenth chapter of his letter to the Romans. It has been a saving grace for me and for millions over the centuries. May the peace of the Lord touch your heart. Cordially,Tom |
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