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In
Your Hands
A
young Oriental student decided to mock his elderly
teacher. He
caught a small bird and cupped it in his hands behind
his back. He
then approached the sage with a plan in mind.
He would ask the old man what he had in his
hand. If
he answered correctly, he would then ask the teacher
if the bird was alive or dead.
If the old man said, “Alive,”
he would crush the bird instantly.
If he answered, “Dead,” he would
release the bird to fly away.
Approaching
the teacher, the young student asked, “What do I
have in my hand, old man?” The teacher
responded, “A bird, my son.”
“Is
he ALIVE or DEAD, old man?” the boy prodded.
The
sage replied, “The answer to that question, my
son, is in YOUR hands!”
You
and I have a problem on OUR hands:
The problem is SIN.
Because of SIN, we are separated from God
(Isaiah 59:1-2) and from His wonderful plan for our
lives. Because
of SIN, we are following a path that leads to
destruction and eternal separation from God (Matthew
7:13-14).
We
desperately need forgiveness!
God
has taken the initiative in providing a PLAN
whereby we may be forgiven of
our SIN and reconciled to Him.
The PLAN
involved
the giving of His Son to die on the CROSS
to pay the price for our redemption. The "sinless"
would die in the place of the "sinful".
The Apostle Paul reminded some Christians of the means
of their reconciliation: “For if when we were
enemies we were reconciled to God through the DEATH of
His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall
be saved by His LIFE” (Romans 5:10).
God
has provided ALL that we need to take care of our SIN
problem.
He has given His Son as payment for SIN. He has revealed in His Word that those who place their faith
in Him (Hebrews 11:6), repent
of their sins (Acts 17:30-31), confess
Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized
(immersed) have their sins washed away (Acts 2:38;
22:16). Then,
as Christians CONTINUE to follow Jesus as a way of
life, His blood CONTINUES to wash away their sins (1
John 1:7).
God has done HIS part -
the rest is up to YOU.
ALIVE or DEAD?
The answer… is in YOUR hands!
God
bless you!
David A. Sargent,
Minister
Church of Christ at Creekwood
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama 36695
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