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             My 
              Attorney 
            After living a "decent" life, my time on earth came to 
              an end. The first thing I remember is sitting on a bench in the 
              waiting room of what I thought to be a court house.  
            The doors opened and I was instructed to come in and have a seat 
              by the defense table. As I looked around I saw the "prosecutor." 
             
            He was a villainous looking gent who snarled as he stared at me. 
              He definitely was the most evil person I have ever seen.  
            I sat down and looked to my left and there sat my lawyer, a kind 
              and gentle looking man whose appearance seemed familiar to me.  
            The corner door flew open and there appeared the judge in full 
              flowing robes. He commanded an awesome presence as he moved across 
              the room. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. As he took his seat 
              behind the bench, he said, "Let us begin."  
            The prosecutor rose and said, "My name is Satan and I am here 
              to show you why this man belongs in hell." He proceeded to 
              tell of lies that I told, things that I stole, and in the past when 
              I cheated others. Satan told of other horrible perversions that 
              were once in my life and the more he spoke, the further down in 
              my seat I sank. I was so embarrassed that I couldn't look at anyone, 
              even my own lawyer, as the Devil told of sins that even I had completely 
              forgotten about. As upset as I was at Satan for telling all these 
              things about me, I was equally upset at my representative who sat 
              there silently not offering any form of defense at all. I know I 
              had been guilty of those things, but I had done some good in my 
              life - couldn't that at least equal out part of the harm I've done? 
              Satan finished with a fury and said, "This man belongs in hell, 
              he is guilty of all that I have charged and there is not a person 
              who can prove otherwise." 
             When it was his turn, my lawyer first asked if he might approach 
              the bench. The judge allowed this over the strong objection of Satan, 
              and beckoned him to come forward.  
            As he got up and started walking, I was able to see him in his 
              full splendor and majesty. I realized why he seemed so familiar. 
             
            This was Jesus representing me, my Lord and my Savior.  
            He stopped at the bench and softly said to the judge, "Hi 
              Dad," and then he turned to address the court. "Satan 
              was correct in saying that this man had  
              sinned, I won't deny any of these allegations. And yes the wage 
              of sin is death,  
              and this man deserves to be punished." Jesus took a deep breath 
              and turned to his Father with outstretched arms and proclaimed, 
              "However, I died on the cross so that this person might have 
              eternal life and he has accepted me as  
              his Savior, so he is mine." 
            My Lord continued with, "His name is written in the book of 
              life and no one can snatch him from me.  
            Satan still does not understand yet. This man is not to be given 
              justice, but rather mercy."  
            As Jesus sat down, he quietly paused, looked at his Father and 
              replied, "There is nothing else that needs to be done. I've 
              done it all."  
            The judge lifted his mighty hand and slammed the gavel down. The 
              following  
              words bellowed from his lips... "This man is free. The penalty 
              for him has already been paid in full. Case dismissed."  
            As my Lord led me away, I could hear Satan ranting and raving, 
              "I won't give up, I'll win the next one."  
            I asked Jesus as he gave me my instructions where to go next, "Have 
              you ever lost a case?"  
            Christ lovingly smiled and said, "Everyone that has come to 
              me and asked  
              me to represent them has received the same verdict as you . . . 
              Paid in Full." 
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