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b'I could feel it. The lethal virus that threatened humanity coursed through my veins. My chest tightened, making it difficult to breathe. It would only be a matter of time before the virus wormed its way into my heart and successfully shut down my body for good. I knew my days were numbered. I sensed the sickness seeping into my mind and polluting my innermost being. I couldn\\u2019t bring myself to accept it, but what choice did I have? My fate was sealed. There was no cure. I sank to the ground, crippled by despair.\\nIt was there that He found me. A Stranger knelt beside me. With a gentle touch, He raised my head and said, \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Would you like to be made well?\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\nI laughed bitterly. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153That is impossible. There is no cure.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153I am the cure,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d He replied.\\n\\u201cWhat could He possibly gain from such an outrageous claim?\\u201d I wondered.\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153You were born with the virus embedded within you,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d He said. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153It cannot be removed by human means, but there is a way you can be free. My blood is clean, untouched by this disease. It will overpower the virus and heal you from all its effects. I offer it freely. It is yours to take, if you choose.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d \\u201cMine to take?\\u201d I thought. \\u201cSurely there was something more I must do to earn such treatment.\\u201d He seemed to know my thoughts as He said, \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153I want to help you. That\\u2019s why I came. I gave my own blood so that you could live. All you have to do is be willing to receive my offer.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\nI knew then what He said was true, and I sprang up, stretching out my arms, ready to receive. Then He lifted His hands\\u2026they were bleeding. He winced in pain as He sprinkled His own blood on me. I stared in disbelief, then my aching body was suddenly filled with warmth. A steady flow of strength and life radiated throughout my entire body. I could feel the darkest parts of my mind becoming clean, new. This bleeding Stranger defeated the virus in me once and for all. I was cured. I looked up at Him in amazement, and He smiled. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Follow me.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d \\u2022 Deami O.\\n\\u2022 Today\\u2019s story is an allegory. Sin is like a deadly disease that has been passed down since the first humans went against God, bringing death, sickness, and brokenness into God\\u2019s good world. Sin separates us from God, who is the author of all goodness. But God doesn\\u2019t want us to be separated from Him. He sent His Son, Jesus, who willingly died and rose again to provide us with a cure. Have you received His new life? (If you\\u2019re not sure, check out our \\u201cKnow Jesus\\u201d page.) \\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153I [Jesus] have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d John 10:10b (NIV)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nPsalm 1; Revelation 22:1-7'