Francis of Assisi's Prayer

The prayer of Francis of Assisi (1181-1226)

LORD, make me an instrument of Thy peace;

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy.

O DIVINE MASTER,

grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Choices Are Personal

OUR PREDICAMENT

“Human life has within it the element of despair… This despair is caused by a gap between what man is and what he knows he ought to be… The human situation has at the very heart of it an element of tragedy.  We are all disappointed.”  Gerald Kennedy, THE LION AND THE LAMB

THERE IS HOPE FOR US

No one can go back and make a “brand new start” but each can start where she/he is and make a “brand new ending.”  It is the final score that counts in the game of life.

KEYS TO THE “BRAND NEW ENDING”

“All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness…”  2 Timothy 3:16.  “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”  Jesus, Matthew 7:24

THE CHOICE IS A PERSONAL ONE!!

ARE YOU FEELING LOW...

“If you are feeling low, do not despair.

The sun has a sinking spell each night,

but it comes back up every morning.”

Ask yourself, “Have I ever had a day that I did not survive?”

In times of despair or frustration, Jesus advises:

ONE:  God know how you feel. He knows you by name.

TWO:  God cares.  He has created you in His image.

THREE:  God will compensate.  Defeat will not be the last word for the one who                          comes to Him with an obedient, trusting faith.

CRITICAL QUESTION:

Why believe that the preceding three statements are reliable and true?

POWERFUL ANSWER:

The presence of Jesus in our history.  He came at a certain time and at a certain place.  He died on a Roman cross. He arose from the dead.  He lives as the victor over death and evil.  He continues to invite each of us.  He says, “Come unto me…”