Freedomborn....set free





There is a story about a wealthy man and his only son who travelled the world together collecting priceless paintings by Van Gogh, Monet and many other masters. Tragically, the son died at war while rescuing others. Distraught and lonely, the old man dreaded the upcoming Christmas day. 

 Christmas morning, a young soldier knocked on his door and said, “I’m a friend of your son. I’m one of the ones he rescued.”  Then the soldier presented a picture he had painted of the son. Though the picture lacked genius, the brokenhearted father saw the features of his precious son and immediately valued this painting above all the masterpieces in his home. Every day, the father gazed at the portrait and told his housekeeper of his great love for it.

 When the father died, the art world buzzed with excitement over the sale of his extraordinary art collection on Christmas day. 

The first item offered was the painting of the son, but no one in the self-important crowd would bid on the amateurish portrait. The auctioneer insisted that the terms of the will required the portrait must be sold before any other paintings could be offered.  Finally, the housekeeper, tears streaming down her cheeks, said to the auctioneer, “May I pay ten dollars for it? That is all the money I have. I knew the son, and I know how much the father treasured that portrait.” The auctioneer said, “The bid is ten dollars. Going once, going twice, gone,” and the gavel fell.
The auctioneer then announced that the auction was over.  “What do you mean?” said the stunned audience. “There must be hundreds of millions of dollars of art here.” The auctioneer replied, “It is very simple. According to the will of the father, whoever takes the son gets it all.”
Like the art collectors, not everyone can see the real value of a relationship with Jesus.  John 1:11 tells us that Jesus came to His own but His own received Him not. They did not accept the precious gift of God’s Son, a gift that brings with it all the blessings and love of God. 


Hold your thoughts. Think for a moment. Don’t you hate the feeling that you have just wasted all sorts of time and energy on something? Many of the things we focus on in life, things the world pursues with great energy and urgency, really won’t matter very much in the end. When you lie on your death bed, you won’t wish you had worked more, or made more money, or achieved a higher position. But you will wish that you had loved God more, focused on people more, spent more time with your family, shared your faith more, prayed more, and pursued God’s purpose for your life. 

If wealth, power, and status mean nothing to God, why do we attribute so much importance to them and so much honor to those who possess them? Do your material possessions give you goals and your only reason for living? If they were gone, what would be left? Who knows you better than the One who created you? Who cares more for you than the One Who died for you? Who leads you more carefully than the One Who knows the end from the beginning? There is no greater picture of courage than the picture of Jesus Christ—the Savior Who lays down His life. You can know security because the One Who loves you is compassionate, caring, and courageous. Jesus knows you. He cares for you. He wants to lead you into the abundant life.

Have you fussed and fumed through life’s challenges, wondering if the Sovereign Creator of the Universe was on vacation? I have a message for you: The God who hung the stars, the God who poured the oceans, the God who raised the mountains, the God who knew you before you were knit together in your mother’s womb, this sovereign God is your Savior. He is your King, and He is in control.

When you are plucked from the depths of sin, you are placed in the very hand of God! You can’t climb up into the hand of God; you are placed into the hand of God. Hallelujah! Our efforts didn’t get us there. His grace placed us there. And His love will keep us there forever.

 If you are not intentional about recognizing and receiving Jesus Christ, you will have nothing in the end, and there will be no negotiation of God’s terms. God’s Son may have been born in the most humble of circumstances in a manger in Bethlehem, but He is coming back in power and glory. The next time we see Jesus, things will be very different from His first coming. Not only will He be the King of kings but He will be a judge and we will be held accountable for our lives.


Blessings,


Raj Kosaraju 

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