12.20-Sometimes we must die to ourselves to get a fresh start.

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12.20-

A fresh start in life is more important than a fresh start in a football season. This week on my local news they showed a Dallas Cowboy getting baptized in a Dallas Cowboy therapy pool. I know if he was sincere his life will never be the same. Not as important is a fresh start with the Cowboys this season.


I was hearing a friend describe how hard it was to help someone who was not telling the truth.
Someone remarked, “When you go to someone for help it is important that you tell them the truth.  Not half the truth. The whole truth.  Nothing but the truth.”

Nearby was a man who had recovered from alcoholism about thirty years ago.  He said, “... wants your money help, but not your spiritual help.  ... is not low enough to tell the truth yet.  You have to hit bottom.  Bottom below the bottom.  So low that you have to reach as high as you can to feel the bottom.  Only then are you ready to surrender to God’s help.”

It is at the death to yourself that you connect with God through Jesus Christ.  Once there was a man who was a teacher and was known as the one who came to Jesus at night.  Many believe that he might have been ashamed of going to Jesus for help in his understanding.  Jesus said to this teacher.

John 3.
3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; 2 this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these [a]signs that You do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born [b]again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Ephesians 2.
2 And you [a]were dead [b]in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the [c]course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, [d]indulging the desires of the flesh and of the [e]mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead [f]in our transgressions, made us alive together [g]with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and [h]that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

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