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]