The Birdcage Story

A man was on the side of the road with a large birdcage. A boy noticed that the cage was full of birds of many kinds. “Where did you get those birds?” he asked.

“Oh, all over the place,” the man replied. “I lure them with crumbs, pretend I’m their friend then when they are close, I net them and shove them into my cage.”

“And what are you going to do with them now?”

The man grinned, “I’m going to prod them with sticks, and get them mad so they fight and kill each other. Those that survive, I will kill. None will escape.”

The boy looked steadily at the man. What made him do such things? He looked into the cruel, hard eyes. Then he looked at the birds, defenseless, without hope.

“Can I buy those birds?” the boy asked.

The man hid a smile, aware that he could be on to a good thing if he played his cards right. “Well,” he said hesitantly, “The cage is pretty expensive, and I spent a lot of time collecting these birds, I’ll tell you what I’ll do, I’ll let you have the lot, birds, cage and all for ten pounds and that jacket you’re wearing.”

The boy paused, ten pounds was all he had, and the jacket was new and very special it was his prized possession. Slowly, he took out the ten pounds and handed it over, then even more slowly he took off his jacket, gave it one last look then handed that over too.

And then (well, you’ve guessed it) he opened the door and let the birds go free.

The Enemy of the world, Satan, was on the side of life’s road with a very large cage. The man coming towards him noticed that it was crammed full of people of every kind, young, old, from every race and nation. “Where did you get these people?” the man asked.

“Oh, from all over the world,” Satan replied. “I lure them with drink, drugs, lust, lies, anger, hate, love of money, and all manner of things. I pretend I’m their friend, out to give them a good time, then when I’ve hooked them, into the cage they go.”

“And what are you going to do with them now?” asked the man.

Satan grinned. “I’m going to prod them, provoke them, get them to hate and destroy each other; I’ll stir up racial hatred, defiance of law and order; I’ll make people bored, lonely, dissatisfied, confused, and restless. It’s easy. People will always listen to what I offer them and (what’s better) blame God for the outcome!”

“And then what?” the man asked.

“Those who do not destroy themselves, I will destroy. None will escape me.”

The man stepped forward. “Can I buy these people from you?” he asked.

Satan snarled, “Yes, but it will cost you your life.”

So Jesus Christ, the Son of God, paid for your release, your freedom from Satan’s trap, with His own life, on the cross at Calvary. The door is open, and anyone, whom Satan has deceived and caged, can be set free.

Adapted from a leaflet from Shiloh Church, Landes du Marche

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About Foundation for Life

The Great White Throne Judgement!

Statement of fact:

Everyone has eternal life, and this is true regardless of whether we choose to believe it or not.

There are two kinds of eternal life, and we must decide which option we will choose. 

The question is:  How do we decide which option to take up?

Option 1: This is obtained by choosing to accept a gift.

Option 2: This is obtained by choosing to decline this gift.

So what is this Gift?

It is the greatest gift ever given in the history of the world, and it was purchased for use for the maximum price a person can pay for any gift or possession.  The gift I am speaking of is the gift of Eternal Life we receive and experience in Option 1: This gift was purchased for use on the day God’s only son Jesus Christ; willingly laid down His life for us and died the most brutal death imaginable.

He did this for you and for me, to take upon Himself the full punishment for our sins; even though we despised Him, mocked Him, spat upon Him, whipped and beat Him unmercifully, placed a crown of thorns upon His head, nailed him through hands and feet onto a crude wooden cross, then finally thrust a spear through His side; to bleed out His innocent lifeblood as a cleansing stream for all mankind.

As we can see here; the world’s Greatest Gift was ultimately expensive.  It was paid for in the highest currency there is; the currency of blood.  It was purchased and paid for with the life, death, and selfless sacrifice of the King of Glory, the creator of all that exists; when He humbled himself, left His home in heaven to take on human form, and died in untold agony for His ungrateful creation (us). This amazing act of humility and sacrifice by God demonstrates His incredible love for us. It is a love that is so great, it defies all human understanding.

So why did God do all of this for us?  

Because God made us in His likeness, in His image, with an eternal immortal spirit residing inside each of us that can never die.                    

The Eternal Human Spirit: 

It is an absolute fact that the human spirit is eternal and it never dies, even after our bodies expire.  When that happens, our living spirit will be released from our mortal body and go “SOMEWHERE”.

It is the question of where that “SOMEWHERE” is; that moved and motivated our creator God to make this incredible sacrifice for us.

The time to choose our eternal destiny and home are now; while we are still living in our mortal bodies. After we die it is too late to choose, and our destiny will be sealed forever, for all time.

We all have a very clear choice to make, and this is the single most important choice each of us will ever face and make in our lifetime.  Our choice will determine where we go when our life on earth is over and done, and our lives are very short and uncertain.  At any time our life can be cut short. In a matter of seconds, we can pass into eternity because of an accident, sudden failure of some vital body part, or at the hands of other people by deliberate acts of murder.

We now have TWO clear choices; and our decision, or our lack of decision, will determine where we go:

Our choices are: 

Option 1:  Non-Smoking.

Option 2:  Smoking.

The non-smoking section of eternity is a place of life, joy, beauty, and wonder beyond our wildest imagination. Here is what the Word of God has to say about our Non-Smoking option; (Heaven).

1 Corinthians 2:9   9But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.

Our two options above can be checked out at these links below.

Seek To Find God:

Plane Crash Survivor Discovers God Is Real:  

Dying Testimonials parts 1, 2 & 3.

Dying Testimonials Part 1

Dying Testimonials Part 2

Dying Testimonials Part 3

If we choose option 2; the place God’s Word refers to as hell, we will have no one to blame but ourselves.

Accordingly, I would like to ask you to carefully think about this, because it’s so very important.  God loves us so much, He was prepared to pay the ultimate price for us; that price being His Life.

Is this gift of ultimate value something you will choose to ignore?  Is it something to be scoffed at and despised, to be taken lightly, or to be put off until a more convenient time; even though we don’t even know if we have a tomorrow, or a next week?  Our human bodies are fragile, our lives uncertain, and they can be snuffed out in a heartbeat, or from the lack thereof.

This is your life.  This is a choice only you can make and if you have not already made this choice; my prayer is that you will choose God’s gift of eternal life, Option 1, here and now, today.  Please don’t put it off for another day.  If God is speaking to you now, then now is the time for choosing.

How do we choose option 1:

Go To: The Way Of The Cross

Here you will learn why and how we must choose our eternal path through The Way Of The Cross.  Learn how to accept this amazing gift of God’s grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness; so that we can be washed clean from all sin and become fit to enter into His eternal home, the place God calls Heaven.

As for me, this choice is a complete no-brainer. I choose non-smoking, and my decision has nothing to do with watching the movie “The Insider”.  We are not talking about that kind of smoking here.

My choice for Option 1 is based on two things: 

1: Because who in their right mind would knowingly and willingly drive or walk off a precipice and into an abyss. A place that is removed from God’s presence, so is, therefore, a place of absolute darkness? Why? because God is Light, He is the source of all light; and darkness by definition is the complete absence of light.

2: Because like everyone else in this journey towards eternity, I have experienced life on both sides of the tracks.

In my former life without God, back when I was still stumbling blindly in the darkness, nothing brought lasting happiness.  It was a time in my life when I could relate to that old Rolling Stones song; “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction”.  The world without God promises pleasure from self-indulgence, excesses of every imaginable kind, and delivers nothing but disillusionment. This is why so often we hear of the rich and famous tragically ending their own lives because they discover wealth and fame do not buy happiness.  A life without God at our center is an empty life; because God made us for a relationship with Him, so living a life outside of a relationship with God will never truly satisfy the human soul.

My journey out of darkness and into true life started on the day I chose to accept this gift from God. I can honestly say with hand on heart, that choosing a life in and with God; was the single best choice I have ever made in my life.  It was the day I invited Christ into my heart and discovered there is absolutely nothing that can compare with knowing and experiencing the love and goodness of God in our lives.

The world has nothing to offer me now; that can compare with or replace the fullness of life, and the sense of purpose we experience when we come to know God as a Father when we invite Him into our lives and become a son or a daughter of the Living God. Then, once having tasted of the Fountain of Life, and having washed in its flow; life outside of Christ is completely unthinkable and holds no attraction at all.

Be blessed: Steve

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