Opening Prayer
God Speaks to the Soul
And God said to the soul:
I desired you before the world
began.
I desire you now, As you desire
me.
And where the desires of two come
together
There love is perfected.
—Mechthild
of Magdeburg, 1210-1282 from The Catholic Encyclopedia
1 John 5:9-13
If we take human testimony at face
value, how much more should we be reassured when God gives testimony as he does
here, testifying concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God
inwardly confirms God’s testimony. Whoever refuses to believe in effect calls
God a liar, refusing to believe God’s own testimony regarding his Son.
This is the testimony in essence:
God gave us eternal life; the life is in his Son. So, whoever has the Son, has
life; whoever rejects the Son, rejects life.
My purpose in writing is simply
this: that you who believe in God’s Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt
that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion. The Message
Again it came, “Only believe.”
“Lord Jesus,” said I, “I will, I
do believe; I now venture my whole salvation upon thee as God! I put my guilty
soul into thy hands, thy blood is sufficient! I cast my soul upon thee for time
and eternity.” Then did he appear to my salvation. In that moment my fetters
were broken; my bands were loosed; and my soul set at liberty. The love of God
was shed abroad in my heart and I rejoiced with joy unspeakable. Now, if I had
possessed ten thousand souls I could have ventured them all with my Jesus. I
would have given them all to him! I felt a thousand precious promises all my
own; more than a thousand scriptures to confirm my evidence—such as, “He that
believeth shall be saved: shall not perish; is not condemned; hath everlasting
life; is passed from death unto life; shall never die; there is no condemnation
to them that are in Christ Jesus,” etc, etc. I could now call Jesus Lord, by
the Holy Ghost, and the Father, my Father. My sins were gone, my soul was
happy; and I longed to depart and be with Jesus. I was truly a new creature,
and seemed to be in a new world! I could do nothing but love and praise my God;
and could not refrain continually repeating, Thou art my Father! O God, thou
art my God! while tears of joy ran down my cheeks.
—Hester
Ann Rogers, 1756-1791, The Experience of Hester Ann Rogers
Ephesians 2:1-10
As for you, you were dead in your
transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways
of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now
at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one
time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires
and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of
his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ
even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms
in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the
incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ
Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For
we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to do. NIV
practicing
the story
Feast on every tender morsel of
this phrase: “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by
grace you have been saved.”
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