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SELF-IMAGE

If you think of yourself as a klutz, an ineffectual
loser, a lightweight, or a prisoner to some habit,
relationship or lifestyle, you will likely lead a defeated,
unhappy life.

However, if you could be cut off from all those
destructive things and connected to a fresh source of power
from the true and living God, then you'd be free to live a
life of effectiveness and success.

The apostle Paul wrote about a process of
visualization, or "reckoning" for believers in the Lord
Jesus Christ:

"...Count (or "reckon") yourselves dead to sin but
alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin
reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil
desires.

"Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as
instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to
God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and
offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of
righteousness." (Romans 6:11-14 NIV)

When you receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you
do so as an act of your will, not just by "visualizing" a
picture. You then not only receive the new life of God, but
you also DIE, in a sense, to the sinful patterns which
before had been your "life".

Sometimes the breaking of old habits can be a
challenge, involving a process of "counting" or "reckoning"
yourself DEAD to this specific sin, and having to receive
God's cleansing repeatedly (see I John 1:9). Sometimes
freedom can be immediate. Either way, God's power is
available to the believer to break the bad habits and
replace them with divinely powerful effectiveness, joyful
purpose and fruitfulness.

Read the book of Romans and the Gospel of John for
yourself. God calls you to receive this "new life" through
faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The gospel is much more than psychological jargon and
mind-games. This new "self-image" is based on the reality
of eternal life in Christ.
Put your trust in Jesus.
[CLYDE PRICE--SCRAPS06]

WHOSE SLAVE ARE YOU?

For nineteen centuries, some have thought that since
Christianity offered forgiveness from sin, that they were
therefore free to sin in whatever way they pleased. They
considered their relationship with Jesus a license to sin.

The apostle Paul has stern words for these folks:
"What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law
but under grace? By no means! Don't you know that when
you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, YOU
ARE SLAVES of the one you obey--whether you are slaves to
sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to
righteousness?" (Romans 6:15-16 NIV)

Paul says that you are either a slave to sin or an
obedient slave of God (please read the whole chapter). The
issue is not whether you are a slave. The question is:
Whose slave are you?

The only truly free people in the universe are the
bondslaves of the Lord Jesus Christ. His servant outranks
any earthly king, unless that monarch is also a brother in
Christ. The lowliest Christian child outranks the angels
Gabriel and Michael, and also demons, even Satan himself.
That is because the believer is IN Christ the King, and the
servant UNDER authority can EXERCISE authority.

Christians are the most important people in the world.

It is stupid to talk about serving the Righteous One
and then violating His commands.

Whose slave are you?
[CLYDE PRICE--SCRAPS07]

FREE GIFT

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of
God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23
NAS)
BAD NEWS--SOMETHING EARNED

The deeds of your life which violate God's will, and
which He calls sin, have earned a WAGE: the paycheck is
DEATH.
The down-payment includes a mortal body subject to
sickness and injury, and eventually physical death. The
complete tab includes eternal separation from God in an
intensely unpleasant place the Bible calls the Lake of
Fire.
GOOD NEWS--SOMETHING GIVEN

The Bible also tells us of how we can find an eternal,
abundant life of freedom, forgiveness and fellowship
through trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. This life is a
gift, not a wage. It can never be earned, and no living
human deserves it. The only way to receive this gift of
eternal life is by receiving the Giver of Life, the Lord
Jesus Christ.

We encourage you to read the letter to the Romans and
the Gospel of John for yourself, with an open mind and
heart.

We pray that you will put your trust in Jesus,
receiving His forgiveness and His gift of eternal, abundant
life. Don't put it off. Do it now.

We would like to meet you and help you grow in Him.
[CLYDE PRICE, SCRAPS08]

DOES GOD REALLY LOVE YOU?

"Sometimes I feel like God loves me, and sometimes I
really feel far away from Him. How can I know for sure
whether or not God loves me? How can I get God to love
me?"

People who think this way are guilty of judging God by
their own emotions. They might think the Almighty has
become their enemy because they had a bad day or their
blood sugar was low.

The Bible says, "But God demonstrates his own love
for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died
for us." (Romans 5:8 NIV)

Scripture teaches clearly that LONG before you ever
made any pretence of turning toward God, He gave His own
Son as the human Passover Lamb promised in the Hebrew
Scriptures (see Genesis 3:15 and Isaiah 53).

Jesus the Messiah of Israel became the perfect
sacrifice whose blood would not simply COVER sin, but wash
it away. (See I John 1:7, KHAPHAR vs. KATHAIRO.)

God's own Word testifies of the price paid for the
redemption of all those who will put their trust in Messiah
Jesus. "Jesus loves me, this I know..." God has
DEMONSTRATED His love for us on a hill called Calvary.
This is true whether you FEEL like it or not, "...for the
BIBLE tells me so."

Read the Bible for yourself, starting with the Gospel
of John. Believe what it says about Jesus, the Messiah of
Israel and the Savior for all mankind. You need never
again to doubt God's love.

Take Jesus today as the Savior and the King of your
life, and your very best Friend.
[Clyde Price--SCRAPS09]

WHAT ABOUT THOSE HYPOCRITES?

Some people use the "hypocrisy" of some religious folk
as an excuse for their own disbelief.

The Bible tells us about those who claim allegiance to
Christ without obeying Him.

Jesus said,"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,'
will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the
will of my Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21 NIV)

Christians are people who confess with their mouths
that Jesus Christ is their Lord (Romans 10:9-10). If you
"confessed" to a CRIME you did not commit, you would not be
"confessing", you would be LYING.

In the same way, people who "confess" that they are
Christians, but are not obediently submitted to Jesus
Christ as the King of their lives are not really
Christians, they are LIARS.
Read the book of Romans and the Sermon on the Mount
(Matthew 5-7) for yourself.

These pseudo-Christians will face the one they CALLED
Lord on Judgment Day, "Then I will tell them plainly, 'I
NEVER knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" (Mt 7:33)

If you hate hypocrites, don't spend eternity with
them. Take Jesus as your Savior and Lord. Trust Him, love
Him, enjoy Him and serve Him. A thousand years from now,
you'll be glad you did.
[Clyde Price--Scraps10]

OUR RESPONSE TO GRACE

When anyone trusts in Christ, he becomes a "new
creature". He has been "bought 'n' paid for" and could wear
a sign, "Property of Jesus Christ" (see I Corinthians
6:19-20).

On receiving God's life through trust in Jesus the
Messiah, the apostle Paul tells us we must do something
with our BODIES:
"I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to
offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing
to God--which is your spiritual worship." (Romans 12:1 NIV)

There is a wall-plaque that says, "The problem with a
living sacrifice is that it keeps crawling off the altar."
Christians are called to live the rest of their lives as
love-slaves of Jesus Christ.

The Bible teaches that ALL people, Christian or
unbeliever, will be judged for every deed "done in the
body" (II Corinthians 5:10). Although the members of our
body had been instruments of sin, we are now to present
every part of our body to God as instruments (or weapons)
of righteousness.
We invite you to read the letters of Romans and 1st
and 2nd Corinthians for yourself.

Because of all that God has done for you, dedicate
your physical body to Him as His instrument to work out His
will on the earth. This is only your "reasonable service."
[Clyde Price--SCRAPS11]

IT'S BETTER TO BE A WINNER

Did you think that if you became a Christian that all
your problems would be solved and life would be hunky-dory
from now on?

Sorry, folks, but Christians have AT LEAST as many
problems as other mortals, but we Christians have a GREAT
ADVANTAGE:

"In all these things we are more than conquerors
through him who loved us." (Romans 8:37 NIV)

Read Romans 8. "These things" are first class
PROBLEMS, but from the standpoint of Scripture, Jesus
Christ has already WON!

History after the cross is a "mopping-up action" as
the Body of Christ permeates the nations of earth with the
Gospel. Even if we lose a battle, we've read the last
three chapters of the Book, and we know who wins!

We can see that many who call themselves "Christians"
are not involved in conquering anything. The reasons for
this could be deliberately cherished sin, or ignorance (or
maybe LYING about being a Christian).

Most professing Christians are ignorant of their
commission, their orders, their weapons and their
"Operations Manual", the Bible. Brothers and sisters:
WAKE UP!

If you are not yet a believer in the Lord Jesus
Christ, we warmly invite you to join the winning team
BEFORE "the game" is over. Entrust yourself to the Lord
Jesus Christ. Find a Bible and start reading in the Gospel
of John.

The Gospels tell about the life and ministry of Jesus.
Acts tells how the early Church "turned the world upside
down". The letters explain how the truths of Christianity
apply in victorious Christian living.
The Book of Revelation, is written to encourage
Christians in the battles of this life that they are on the
winning side, and that Jesus Christ will bring His people
through.

You don't need to master all this material to become a
Christian. You can do that right now. Entrust yourself to
Jesus.
Clyde Price--Scraps12]