Gluten Free & God Seeking

Sunday, April 28, 2013

From the Life-Study of 2 Corinthians - Did You Know Pressures Cause Renewing in 2 Corinthians 4:16?

     It's not always easy to be honest about our experiences.  In chapter 4 of 2 Corinthians Paul tells it like it is, and I find that very encouraging!   But then he ends this section in verse 16 with such an incredible proclamation of not losing heart because all of these pressures are causing us to be renewed. So many times these verses have been like a rope I've held onto! 
  Wherefore we do not lose heart, but if indeed our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16

 In chapter 32 of the Life-Study of 2 Corinthians  Witness Lee uses on pages 286-287 trees losing their leaves in autumn to illustrate this spiritual experience:  
Also from experience I can testify that something issues from this decaying, this consumingthe renewing of the inward man. Yes, our outward man is decaying, but our inward man is being renewed.  If we had a choice, we would of course choose the renewing and avoid the decaying...This renewing does not merely involve the addition of the divine element into our being.  Our old nature, the outward man, is actually taken away so that the life within us, that is, the Spirit of  life, may have the opportunity to develop" (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of 2 Corinthians. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1982, Print).   
    I love it when spring returns again.  The trees that have been barren for so long are full of new buds just waiting to burst open.  What a marvelous picture God has given us in nature of what He is doing within the believers who spend time with Him each day no matter what's going on!!!

Here's a song I like to listen to when I'm struggling called We Do Not Lose Heart that puts these verses in 2 Corinthians 4 to music.

Here's a link so you can listen to any of the programs on the Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee that are on the book of  1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians.

Other Blogs on the Life Study of 1 & 2 Corinthians:

1 Corinthians:
How did the Lord Solve the Problem Among the Believers in 1 Corinthians?
The Fellowship of the Believers in 1 Corinthians 1:9
What is God's Farm in 1 Corinthians 3:9?
What is God's Building in 1 Corinthians 3:9?
From the Life-Study of 1 Corinthians - How Do the Believers Build With Gold, Silver, & Precious Stones in 1 Corinthians 3:12?
Seeing the Revelation of the Body in 1 Corinthians 12
How Did the Early Believers Meet in 1 Corinthians 14:26?

2 Corinthians:

How Can You Be Like A Letter of Christ in 2 Corinthians 3:2?

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Belizean BBQ Chicken, Black Beans & Rice, & Belizean Coleslaw

   I made some Belizean food over the last weekend. I enjoy trying out foods from other countries.Two of the recipes below come from my daughter-in-law's family cookbook.  Some of her family were born there.

   Everyone was wowing over the chicken because it was so tasty and moist.  I didn't  completely follow the recipe for the black beans and rice.  I cooked the beans and rice separately and then combined some of them together in a bowl just in case there weren't that many takers. 

As I searched online to check out Belizean food, I learned that some people like to cook the beans and then add a bit more water and/or some coconut milk and then add the rice and cook everything together until the rice is tender.  If you're interested in that, you can search it out on the link to the Belizean coleslaw that's below.

Belizean BBQ Chicken

1.  Prepare chicken:  
(1)  Rinse and cut apart  a 3 lb chicken.
(2)  Rub the chicken with  3 tsp. of No Salt seasoning and 3 T chopped cilantro.
(3)  Marinate for 6 hours or overnight.

2.  Prepare vegetables:  
(1)  Dice 1 medium onion
(2)  Chop 1 green pepper. 
(3)   mince 1 clove of garlic.

3.  Make Belizean BBQ sauce:  Combine  in a small bowl:  4 T ketchup, 1 T Worcestershire sauce, 2 T apple cider vinegar, 4 T water, 2 T olive oil, 3 T brown sugar, 1 tsp. chili powder, 1 tsp. dry mustard,  1 tsp. paprika, 1 tsp. salt and mix together.

4.  Bake the chicken: 
 Put chicken in 9 x 13 pan and add the BBQ sauce and vegetables and then bake covered at 350 for 1 hour.  You can also put this in a crock pot on low for 8 hours.

Serve with Belizean rice and beans


 Belizean Black Beans & Rice

1. Prepare black beans:  
(1)  Soak beans the night before and then drain off and add about 3-4 cups of water and bring to a boil.  
(2)  Then let the beans simmer for an 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until tender. 
 
2.  Chop vegetables & fry:  
(1)  Chop up 1 medium onion, and mince 2 cloves of  garlic. 
(2)  Put 2 T oil into a skillet and fry up vegetables.
(3)  Then add 2 cups of rice and fry together for about 5 minutes.  

3. Put 3 cups of water into a pot and add the cooked beans and the rice mixture and cook over low heat for 5-20 minutes or until done.


Belizean Coleslaw

I tried the Belizean Coleslaw recipe that was posted by Global Kitchens because I wanted to have a traditional salad with the chicken and rice and beans.

1.  Prepare vegetables - After cutting put the following vegetables into a large salad bowl:
(1)  Thinly slice 1 medium head of cabbage
(2)  Chop 1 red pepper into 1/4" strips
(3)  Grate 2 carrots
(4)  Slice 1-2 cucumbers in half moons (I cut them into quarters)
 
2.  Prepare dressing - In a small bowl whisk together:
1/2 cup of white vinegar, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 4 tsp. salt, 1/3 cup sugar, and 1 tsp. of no salt seasoning like Bragg's Organic Sprinkle- 24 Herbs & Spices Seasoning

3.  Combine:  Drizzle the dressing over the coleslaw and toss to combine.  You can refrigerate it for a few hours before serving.  I only had about half an hour before dinner, and it was still delicious!
  
Other Mexican Recipes On This Blog

Mexican Casseroles
Texas Style Gluten Free Stacked Enchiladas  (From my Come & Dine cookbook)
Acapulco Delight A great Mexican Enchilada (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Kathy's Baked Chili & Chips Casserole  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Fiesta Gluten Free Tamale Pie   (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Authentic Chicken Enchiladas Verde  (From a church friend)
Delores's Chicken & Tortilla Casserole (Made Gluten Free)  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Great Beef Enchiladas - From my church cookbook, Come & Dine

Tacos, Chimichangas  & Etc.
Rachel Ray's Recipe for the Best Fish Tacos   (Modified from Food Network)
Fantastic Baked Chimichangas  (From my Syre School Cookbook)
Authentic Chicken Flautas  (My hispanic friend Abbie taught me how to make these!)
Delicious Chicken Fajitas  (A mix of many recipes)
Easy Gluten Free Baked Taquitos  (From a newspaper clip)
 
Beans
The Best Homemade Refried Beans  (Modified from an Internet search)
Baked Chili & Chips (My daughter-in-law's family reunion cookbook)
Sara's Grandpa's Recipe for Mexican Beans (from my nephew's wife-a yummy side dish that is thick like a stew)

Mexican Chicken & Beef
Anna's Pollo Guisado (Mexican Braised Chicken)  (From a church friend in Phoenix)
Fantastic Gluten Free Carne Asada!  (From an Internet search--a combination of sites)

Soups
Mexican Chicken Soup- A Great Remedy for Colds & Flu  (I got this over 25 years ago from a Mexican cookbook)
Bethany's Crowd Pleasing Tortilla Soup  (From a friend in California)
Southwest Turkey Soup   (From my Syre School Cookbook)

Salads
Baja Salad with Black Beans & Quinoa  (My own version of something I ate in Seattle)

Sunday, April 21, 2013

What Causes the Spiritual Transformation in 2 Corinthians 3:18?

       God seems to put us into circumstances we can’t get out of.  And it’s often in these very circumstances that we’re pressed more to behold God’s face. This week I found myself in another 2 Corinthians 4:8 experience of being pressed on every side.  Anyway I’ve liked 2 Corinthians 3:18 for a long time, and the chapters I was reading this week in the Life-Study of 2 Corinthians were on it. 

     What I like the most in this verse is the process that’s implied here—“from glory to glory.”  Witness Lee shares here that every day the Lord is calling us to spend face time with Him so that the glory can increase in us.  My 4-year-old granddaughter likes to tell others that she wants to spend some alone time with them.  I’ve really been seeing more this past year that God needs our cooperation, and that means we need to spend our own alone time with God.  

     And for this to occur we need to need to turn our heart, we need to open our mouths to pray, and when we get past all the barriers (Paul calls them veils), we find ourselves in the process that 2 Corinthians 3:18 talks about. And God knows that.  I enjoyed reading the summary that Witness Lee gives on this verse on pages 213-214 at the end of chapter 24:
Now that we have the Spirit indwelling our spirit, we need to exercise more and more by praying, reading the word, and calling on the name of the Lord.  The more we exercise our spirit with an unveiled face, the more we shall behold the Lord.  As we are gazing on Him, we shall also reflect Him.  While we are beholding and reflecting Him in this way, His element, His essence will be added into our being.  This new element will replace and discharge the element of our old, natural life.  Then we shall experience transformation, a metabolic change.  We shall be transformed into the Lord’s image (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of 2 Corinthians. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1982, Print). 
    Did you ever wonder what’s the Spirit’s ultimate goal in transforming us?  In chapter 21 Witness Lee  connects 2 Corinthians 3:18  to Revelation 22:17 where you have not only  the Spirit mentioned but also the bride:  “The Spirit and the bride say, Come.”  He also said that every day we need to  stay in this process of transformation UNTIL we become this bride.

Here's a beautiful song that describes what happens when we look at the Lord.  It's written by a Howard Higashi, a believer whose songs evidence how much he loved the Lord. It's called Just One Touch. 

Blog Update 5/6/14:  Here's another song that goes along with this verse, it's called Whatever May Happen.  It's about what happens when we look at the Lord. This song is from the CD The Comfort Abounds, and you can purchase this beautiful collection of songs by going to  www.nycypcd.org

Here's a link so you can listen to any of the programs on the Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee that are on the book of  1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians.

Other Blogs on the Life Study of 1 & 2 Corinthians:

1 Corinthians:
How did the Lord Solve the Problem Among the Believers in 1 Corinthians?
The Fellowship of the Believers in 1 Corinthians 1:9
What is God's Farm in 1 Corinthians 3:9?
What is God's Building in 1 Corinthians 3:9?
From the Life-Study of 1 Corinthians - How Do the Believers Build With Gold, Silver, & Precious Stones in 1 Corinthians 3:12?
Seeing the Revelation of the Body in 1 Corinthians 12
How Did the Early Believers Meet in 1 Corinthians 14:26?

2 Corinthians:

How Can You Be Like A Letter of Christ in 2 Corinthians 3:2?

Friday, April 19, 2013

Judi's Gluten Free Orange Chiffon Cake


   Welcome spring with this light citrusy chiffon cake!  Today my daughter and her children made this together with me for a birthday dinner. 

    This is my friend Judi's favorite birthday cake.  In fact she told me her grandmother made it for her every year when she was young. She likes to eat gluten free, so she's made it that way for several years.   

    I like the refreshing orange taste.  It's a nice light tasting cake.








Judi's Gluten Free Orange Chiffon Cake

1.  Prepare dry ingredients - In a large bowl put:
(1)  3/4 cup rice flour, 3/4 cup sorghum flour, and 3/4 cup tapioca flour (2 1/4 cups).
(2)  Stir in 1 cup of white sugar.
(3)  3 1/2 t baking powder and 1 t salt.

2.  Prepare eggs:  Separate 5 eggs and put the yolks into a medium size bowl.

3.  Prepare liquid ingredients - Put in a medium size bowl:
(1)  5 egg yolks
(2)  1/2 cup oil (Judi used 1/2 cup coconut oil)
(3)  1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
(4)  1/4 cup water
(5)  3 T grated orange zest

4.  Make a well in the dry ingredients:  Then pour the liquid ingredients in and beat for 5 minutes with a mixer. (We used the mixer after we combined the ingredients.)

5.  Whip up the egg whites:    Whip the whites for a minute or two until peaks start to form.  Then add 1/2 t of cream of tartar and then gradually tablespoon by tablespoon add 1/2 cup of sugar.  Judi told me you should beat the egg whites until you can cut them in half with a knife and they stay divided, which takes about 5 minutes

6.  Combine ingredients:  Pour the egg yolk/oil/orange juice mixture GRADUALLY over the egg whites and fold them in just until blended.  

7.  Bake: Pour into an ungreased 9 x 13 pan and bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes.  Invert the pan to cool.  Invert the pan over two glasses to cool.  
    If you use a bundt pan allow the cake to cool for an hour. Once cooled use  a knife to work around the edge of the cake, then invert the cake on a wire rack.  Use a platter to cover the cake and flip it upright onto the platter.   

8.  Glaze:  Meanwhile mix 2 cups of confectioner's sugar and 3 T of orange juice together for a minute.  Drizzle the glaze over the cake.  Allow it to sit for 20 minutes before serving.

Other Gluten Free Baking & Desserts on This Blog:

Breads: 
Gluten free & Low-fat Banana Bread  (From my daughter-in-law's family reunion cookbook)
Celebrate Fall With Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread   (A friend's recipe)
Delicious Gluten Free Zucchini Bread   (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
My Favorite Gluten Free Cranberry Nut Bread    (From my daughter-in-law's family cookbook)

Cakes:
Gluten Free German Apple Cake   (From my grandmother)
You Won't Believe It's Gluten Free Carrot Cake    (From my daughter's husband's grandma)
Judi's Super Moist Gluten Free Chocolate Cake   (From a church friend)
Judi's Gluten Free Orange Chiffon Cake       (From a church friend)
Marilyn's Spectacular Gluten Free Oatmeal Cake    (My mother-in-law's--she's a great cook!)
Delicious Gluten Free Rhubarb Cake     (From my daughter-in-law's family reunion cookbook)
Grandma's Gluten Free Applesauce Cake  (From my grandma)
Old Fashioned Gluten Free Banana Cake      (From my grandma)
Rosie's Gluten Free Pineapple Upside Down Cake    (From my daughter-in-law's family)

Cookies:
Gluten Free Cowboy Oatmeal Cookies  (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Mom's Go To For Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies   (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
The Best Gluten Free Recipe for Snickerdoodles  (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Gluten Free Rocky Road Brownies     (From a church friend)
Mark's Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies - Made Gluten Free!    (From my daughter-in-law's family reunion cookbook)
Judi's Gluten Free Oatmeal Craisin & Coconut Cookies       (From a church friend)

Cornbread & Rolls:
Beth's Amazing Gluten Free Cornbread   (From my Heritage School Cookbook)

Crisps & Pies:
Lena's Rhubarb Crunch (A crisp with a gluten free top and bottom crust!) (My daughter-in-law's mother.  She's an amazing cook, which I think most of us moms become after a few years!)
Delicious Gluten Free Apple Crisp  (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Ginger's Outrageous Apple Pie  (From a church friend)

The BEST Lemon Meringue Pie with Mrs. Lauralicious Gluten Free Pie Crust  (Internet)

Desserts with Fruit:
Sensational Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake   (From the back of Costco's organic sugar)
Terrific Gluten Free Strawberry & Peach Trifle  (Modified from an Internet search)
My Favorite Gluten Free Strawberry Cheesecake   (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Just Like Grandma's (But Only Gluten Free) Blueberry Cobbler (My husband's grandma)

Holiday Cookies & Baking:
Old Fashioned Gluten Free Pumpkin Cookies  (Modified from back of the Libby's can)
Incredible Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies  (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
My Grandkids Favorite Gluten Free Peppermint Sugar Cookies  (From Syre School Cookbook)
Our Favorite Pumpkin Pie   (Modified from back of Libby's pumpkin can)
Perfect Gluten Free Pumpkin Cheesecake  (From back of cream cheese box)
Gluten Free Polish Fruitcake   (Modified from Internet search)
Old Fashioned Gluten Free Gingerbread Cake  (From my Heritage School Cookbook)

Muffins:
Banana Nutty Muffins   (From my daughter-in-law's family reunion cookbook)
Gluten Free Tremendous Pumpkin Muffins    
(From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Bursting with Blueberries Gluten Free Muffins  (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Toni's Outrageous Gluten Free Corn Muffins  (From back of a Bob's Red Mill package)
Sassy Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins   (From my Heritage School Cookbook)

 Puddings & Ice Cream:  
Dairy Free Strawberry Coconut Ice Cream (And other ice cream favorites!)  (From searches)
Baked Coconut Pudding  (Something I worked out from my Aunt Sue's rice pudding recipe)
Tangy Lemon Pudding   (From Internet search)

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Mexican Grilled Salmon & Mango Salad

Here's another tasty way to get your omegas!  This is a great salad for a warm spring or summer day. The basic structure comes from a grilling paperback booklet put out by Better Homes & Gardens.  I wanted to add more protein to this salad, so I added garbanzo beans, but I really wanted to add black beans but didn't have any. And I also threw in some quinoa to add to the protein content.  

The original recipe calls for different fruits and avocado, but I adjusted it by adding more vegetables. The combination of these fruits and vegetables was very refreshing and, of course, delicious.


Mexican Grilled Salmon & Mango Salad - Serves 4

1. Prepare fish:  Rinse 1/2 pound of salmon.  Brush salmon 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Because I was going to cook this in my cast iron skillet I cut it into chunks.

2. Then make a marinade:  Squeeze out 1 T of lime/lemon juice and mix with 1 1-1/2 t of cajun seasoning or Jamaican jerk seasoning.  Let sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

3.  Cook 1 cup of quinoa in 2 cups of water.  Put aside.

4. Prepare vegetables, fruit & other ingredients:  I put these in individual bowls.
(1)  Wash enough lettuce for 4 people and put them in serving bowls.
(2)  Dice up 1 avocado.
(3)  Halve 1 cup of strawberries
(4)  Chop up 1 mango
(5)  Slice up 1/2 of a red pepper.
(6)  Slice 1/2 of a purple onion.
(7)  Drain a can of beans.

5.  Grill fish or pan fry: You can either grill the fish 4-6 minutes a side if it's 1/2" thick and then cut  it or you can cook it on med-high heat in a cast iron skillet.  Cook until it flakes easily.   Put aside and let cool slightly before putting on top of salads.



Lena's Mexican Salad Dressing

This delicious salad dressing comes from my daughter-in-law's mother Lena.  She made this dressing for taco salad, and it was a must have kind of recipe.  Don't get overwhelmed by its yellow color because it's a dynamite dressing.  

In a blender put:

(1)  2/3 cup of olive oil
(2)  2 T mayo and 3 T yellow prepared mustard
(3)  1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar
(4)  1 medium onion cut in a chunks
(5)  1 t salt, 1/2 t pepper, 1 t celery seeds
(6)  3/4 cup of sugar - This time I tried 1/2 cup of sugar and it worked!
Blend until smooth.


List of Other Salads on this Blog:

Greens/cabbage:
Gluten Free Chinese Chicken Cabbage Salad   (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Baja Salad with Black Beans & Quinoa  (A remake from something I ate at a restaurant)
Make it Yourself Thai Peanut Dressing for Mandarin Salad  (My friend Judi's recipe)
KFC Copycat Cole Slaw   (A friend shared this with me)
Mexican Grilled Salmon & Mango Salad   (From a Betty Crocker summer cookbook)
Belizean Coleslaw    (From Internet search)

Pasta:
Tasty Gluten Free Pasta Salad  (Something I picked up over 20 years ago!)
Vietnamese Vermicelli Salad Bowls   (From an Internet search)

Vegetable:
Jeremy D's Sensational Greek Salad   (My son-in-law's recipe)
Grandma's Perfect Potato Salad   (Family recipe)
Rose's Refreshing Cucumber Salad   (From a Chinese friend)

Fruit:
Grandma Marilyn's Frozen Fruit Salad  (My mother-in-law's recipe)

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Do You Know What is the Mystery of Your Human Life?


    Everyone loves a good mystery with a riveting plot, hidden clues, a protagonist with challenging obstacles, a disgusting antagonist, and a surprise ending.  After reading a mini version of *The Mystery of Human Life with a Thai student last week after a dinner with college students I saw again how the Bible surely contains the best mystery of all. 

    Over the years my husband and I have gone up to our university and handed out Bibles and gospel tracts at the Info Fair.  Whenever a student would let me talk with them, I would recite some of the verses I knew by heart or share some of the background details from the Bible.

  This week I looked up some of the key verses  presented in this tract.  It's important for people to know that this is not our own word but God's.  These verses in the Bible contain the pieces to the puzzle that answers the greatest mystery of all--why did God create us?

And to enlighten all that they may see what the economy of the mystery is, which throughout the ages has been hidden in God, who created all things,  Ephesians 3:9

The first piece of the puzzle is seeing that God made man in His own image  for a purpose!

Just like any great mystery, the Bible introduces in its opening chapters the protagonist, antagonist, and other key players.  The very first verse introduces God: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” The ultimate goal of God’s creation, however, focuses on His creation of man in Genesis 1:26:  “And God said, Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, and let them have dominion….” Last of all you can find in chapter 3 the antagonist, the devil, disguised as a serpent hanging in a tree ready to trick Eve.  Have you ever wondered after reading the first three chapters of Genesis, what’s up with this story?  When I read it growing up, I never could put all the pieces together. 


The second piece of the puzzle is seeing that God’s eternal purpose is to get inside of man.

The Bible shows us that God made man with three parts.  And in Genesis 2:7 you can see them:  “Jehovah God formed man [outward body] from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, [Hebrew for neshamah translated  spirit in Proverbs 20:27], and man became a living soul,”  These three parts are also mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 5:23:  “And the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly,  and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without  blame, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 
     
  All the three parts of our being were made by God to contact and receive things. Our body contacts the physical world and receives food and water in order to sustain our life.   Our soul, the Greek word for which is psuche, is composed of our faculties of thinking, feeling, and choosing and these enable us to contact  and receive input from the psychological realm. Last of all our human spirit was made by God to contact and receive God. 

The Bible tells us in Romans 9:21 that God made man like a vessel:  “Or does not the potter [God] have authority over the clay to make out of the same lump one vessel unto honor…” And vessels are containers; just like a glove is made in the image of a hand with the purpose of containing a hand, so God made man in His image so that man could be a vessel to contain His divine life. The clue to seeing that man's spirit was made to contact God's Spirit is hidden in John 4:24:  “God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truthfulness.”  The capital S  here stands for God’s Spirit, and the lower case s stands for man’s human spirit. 

The third piece of the puzzle involves seeing what happened to man in Genesis 3.

Now we need to rewind and take a good look at the antagonist in the Bible.  At first glimpse we might not fully get  what's behind the talking serpent in Genesis 3  who is telling Eve that if she ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil she would become like God. 


What was really happening in that garden scene?  Who is this serpent anyway?  The hidden clues to his origin are brought out in different aspects in both Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:13-19. In a nutshell it looks like this:  Long before God created Adam and Eve, this serpent was actually called Daystar or Lucifer  (Isaiah 14:12). These verses in Isaiah show that Lucifer wanted to exalt his throne above God’s, and because of his rebellion, God cast him to the earth along with one-third of God’s angels who had followed him in rebellion (Rev. 12:4a).  In the Bible Lucifer is referred to as either Satan, which in Hebrew means enemy or the devil, which in Greek means slanderer or accuser.

The serpent in Genesis 3 is none other than Lucifer, and he like all antagonists was up to no good looking for a prime opportunity to spoil God’s plan. Romans 7:18 helps us understand that Satan’s evil nature was inside the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  And when Eve and then Adam ate of this fruit, the sinful nature of Satan entered into their body.  It is evident from human history that sin has damaged all three parts of man, and Ephesians 2:1 shows us that even our spirit was also deadened.  In Romans 5:12 the apostle Paul tells us that this sin not only affected Adam and Eve but the entire human race:  “Therefore just as through one man sin entered into the world and through sin, death; and thus death passed on to all men because all have sinned--“
 
The fourth piece of the puzzle is understanding why Jesus was incarnated

God knew what Satan was going to do, but God didn’t give up on His eternal purpose.  He knew the only way to bring man back to God was to send His Son to die for all our sins. And the clue to understanding that this was part of the plan is found in Revelation 13:8 which says: “...the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world.”   

So the Bible tells us that God’s Son was born of a virgin (Matt. 1:18) and lived on this earth for 33 ½ years, and then He died on the cross as the Lamb of God (John 1:29). This story is known and loved by many people.  

But there's an obscure piece of the puzzle in 1 Corinthians 15:45b that is often overlooked.  This verse says "the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit." Finally the Lord's life would be able to enter into man's spirit!  In the Gospel of John we see that on the evening of the Lord’s resurrection He appeared to His disciples with this purpose:  “And when He had said this, He breathed into them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit (John 20:22).

The fifth piece of the puzzle is seeing God’s desire that man be regenerated or born again.

When man opens to receive  Christ as the life-giving Spirit, he gets regenerated as1 Peter 1:3 says:  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has regenerated us unto a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” The Bible is so wonderful because it shows us how to be regeneratedwe just need to repent and believe in the Lord. We can see this clearly in the apostle Paul's word to the Ephesian believers:  “Solemnly testifying both to Jews and to Greeks repentance unto God and faith in our Lord Jesus.” (Acts 20:21).

All you need to do is open your heart to the Lord and pray with a sincere heart:

Lord Jesus, I am a sinner
I need You.
Thank You for dying for me.
Lord Jesus, forgive me.
Cleanse me from all my sins.
I believe that You rose from the dead.
I receive You right now as my Savior and life.
Come into me!  Fill me with Your life!
Lord Jesus, I give myself to You for Your purpose.
You can now have the assurance that the Lord Jesus has come into your spirit!  And by receiving the Lord you have solved the mystery of your human life!!  But that's not the end, there's another very important piece of the puzzle left to discover.
 
The sixth piece of the puzzle is seeing that this is just the beginning of experiencing  God’s full salvation

The Bible tells us in Mark 16:16 that it is important for a believer to make a public declaration through baptism.  Our receiving the Lord is now the beginning of a life-long journey. Every day you can open your heart to the Lord and read the Bible and pray.  This allows the Lord’s life to grow within you and spread out from your spirit into all the parts of your soul.  This verse in 2 Corinthians 3:18 speaks of this process:  “But we all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit.”  And  if you read the last two chapters of Revelation you'll see that this transformation causes an incredible surprise ending.

 I really like this song because it puts together all the pieces of this puzzle concerning God's purpose in creating man; it's called  This Divine Romance.
 
Your new life in Christ has now begun!

*You can view here the complete version of The Mystery of Human Life published by Living Stream Ministry that this gospel tract was derived from.

Bibles for America  Video presentation in 3 parts on the booklet The Mystery of Human Life.

Bible's For America - The God Shaped Vacuum - Our Third Part and the Meaning of Human Life
 (This video which shows a puzzle was the inspiration for using puzzle pieces in this writing.)

Blog Update 12-9-18:   Here is a story of a student's salvation at a Bible for America's distribution table at a campus- Leading Someone to Christ--A Salvation Story..

Other posts on Reading The Mystery of Human Life:

Sharing the Gospel With the Tract The Mystery of Human Life
How is Man Like A Glove?  - Talking with a student at a University,  February 2012
Reading the Mystery of Human Life with International Students - July 2012