Why do we need a ransom? ~ God's Word

A ransom is a price paid to release a person from bondage. Death and old age were not part of God’s original purpose for mankind. How do we know that? God told the first man, Adam, that if he committed what the Bible calls sin, he would die. If Adam had not sinned, he would never have died. Even though Adam’s life did not end until centuries later, he began to die from the day he disobeyed God. (Genesis 2:16, 17; 5:5) Adam passed on to all his descendants sin and its penalty, death. Thus, death “entered” the world of mankind through Adam. That is why we need a ransom.—Romans 5:12; 6:23

Going Kung Fu Christian! (Part 2 of 3)

Good morning everyone. This is the second part of my article. I wish you are still following. Let me continue now …

But the main area to which the ‘Chinese applied this term was spiritual discipline. They knew (and so do we) that the way to excellence in all life started with the training and conditioning of your soul.

Which leads me to a question…? Are you a kung fu Christian?

No, I don’t mean like a black belt in Bible and you’re able to use your fish symbol like a Chinese throwing star… HAI YA!

I’m talking about the training and conditioning of your spiritual life with Jesus Christ. You see, the Christian life is not simp0ly fire insurance from hell, it is so so SO much more than that. To simply trust in Jesus as your only hope of salvation and then leave it at that is like accepting a free ticket to a martial arts movie instead of playing a key role IN the movie! God has a major part for each and every believer, but trust me, it is no walk in the park.

Why? Because if you don’t train, you won’t be ready for the fight. You are up against a bully more powerful than any other in the universe. His goal is to “steal, kill, and destroy” you (John 10:10), and he has been studying spiritual martial arts far longer than you. Fortunately, you have a Trainer and a training manual that will bring you victory every time you engage… but you have to be disciplined and follow your Mater, Jesus Christ.

One of the greatest ‘ kung fu Christians’ of all time is the Apostle Paul. Here is his training advice:

All athletes are disciplines in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step.

Third and last part will come soon :) …..

Pocketed

Good morning everyone. When I want to read a book or magazine, I always look for an article about the good things God made. Even I don’t experience those good things in real, I felt it that it happened to me. I always get touched with the articles I’ve read. I read one article that divine touched my heart. Sad story but it seems in the end you will feel good as the story will touch the heart of many. Let me share it with you …

A girl has a daddy who was not a churchgoing man. Fishing was the habit of the father every Sunday. The girl used to worry a lot about his soul, so when she was 13 yrs old, she bought him a little pocket Bible, and she slipped it into his suitcase before he went out on a business trip. The girl wrote a nice message on the bible and this it say, “Daddy, God loves you and so do I.” The girl never saw the bible again and her father never mentioned a word to her about it.

The girl grew up and moved away from home, but she always kept praying for her daddy.

Then one day she got a terrible phone call, telling her that her daddy had died suddenly at the young age of 47.

The funeral was at their little country church with standing room only. And the procession of cars stretched out for a mile behind them as they drove to the family plot. The girl was amazed at the number of friends that her quiet little daddy had.

Even in the girl’s grief at the cemetery she had to smile at the memory of her Daddy telling herself that it was called plunk-a-was cemetery, because it was “plunked way back in the middle of the woods.”

Back at their house the neighbors had cleaned up the place, but it was the girl’s sad duty to go through all of her Daddy’s things.

The girl walked into his daddy’s bedroom and burst into tears at the sight of his worn khaki work pants draped over the foot of his bed, just like he’d always done.

Rummaging through the pockets of those work pants, she felt a strange billfold-sized object in his right back pocket. That’s odd, the girl thought. Her daddy had always carried his wallet in his left back pocket.

The girl pulled the object out, and it almost fell apart in her hands. It was the little pocket Bible that she had given to her daddy all those years ago, worn smooth and soft from years of handling.

The girl turned to the inscription in her youthful handwriting. Yes, God loved her daddy. And now she knew, her daddy had sure loved God right back.

The Packaging

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer’s showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car.

Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his Father called him into his private study and told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man’s name embossed in gold. Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, “With all your money you give me a Bible?” and stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible.

Many years passed and the young man was a very successful businessman.

He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away and had willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.

When he arrived at his father’s house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father’s important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. In tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse: Matthew 7:11 “And if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father, who is in heaven, give to those who ask Him?”

As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer’s name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words… PAID IN FULL.

How many times do we miss God’s blessings because they are not packaged as we expected? - Beacon

Are you Afraid?

Good evening friends. I was going to sleep, when I spot one book that was on top of the table which was place on the corner of my living room. I thought that I’d tried to look at it first before going to bed. I just opened the page of the book and this article was the first thing I saw…. In our life we sometimes scare with something we don’t know, or with something that were not happening yet. Is it that we are scared of the things which may disappoint ourselves or is it that we are losing faith with our God?...... YOU?…… Are you afraid?

If you have some fear that is interfering with your work or your sleep or making you avoid social gatherings, try confronting that fear now with these five steps.

1. Name it. Write your fear down on a piece of paper. Give specific details. A fear that may seem enormous bottled up in your mind can assume quite normal proportions when put in words before you.

2. Relax. Psychologist report that fear produces tension which can block creativity. You need a relaxed body before you can have a relaxed mind, so sit in a chair and let your body go limp. Breathe deeply, slowly. Thing of peaceful things. Continue this exercise until you’re sure the tension has drained out of you.

3. Search your Bible for passages like: “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of course, the wonderful 23rd Psalm the Bible verses go on and on, giving free of it. He asks, yes implores, you to give Him your burden.

4. Trust Him. Believe, with all your heart, Proverbs 3:5: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart: and lean not unto thine own understanding.” Regardless of what goes wrong, you must believe that He loves you and cares what happens to you.

5. Surrender it. Take the sheet of paper with your fear written on it. Offer up a prayer like this: “Lord, I have brought this matter to Your attention. I know now that while I am unable by myself to throw off this fear. You can do it for me. I put my trust in You.” Then tear up the paper and let the piece fall into the waste basket. – N.V.P