Cleaning for Your PC

Every so often it's important to perform thorough PC cleaning and maintenance. Fortunately there are a few simple steps you can take and utilities you can use to make your computer run faster.
by David Cardinal
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Is your computer filling up with old files or slowing down, cluttered with applications? Just like your house, it likely needs a good spring-cleaning. Fortunately there are a few simple steps you can take and utilities you can use to clean up the debris that may be cluttering up your machine. Here's part 1 of our guide.

Part 2—on physically cleaning your PC and peripherals—arrives tomorrow.
First you should decide how thorough you want to be. Like your basement, your PC can potentially benefit from hours of cleaning, but you probably have other things to do with your time. So if your hard drive is filled to bursting, spend some time backing up and clearing off your data files. Otherwise, though, honestly, your time is better spent on other chores.
There are two exceptions to this rule: your desktop and your Start menu. If you've been letting your desktop fill up, take just 10 minutes to file away or delete the clutter. If you're using Windows XP and need to ease navigation in the Start menu, open the menu in Windows Explorer (C:\Documents and Settings\username\Start Menu\Programs) and spend a couple of minutes filing. Since Vista users have the convenient Start menu search field, straightening up the Programs menu seems like a waste of time.

UNCLOG THE PIPES
One of the simplest steps you can take to help out your machine's performance is to defragment the hard drive—although, alas, test results show that defragging achieves uneven improvement. But with a disk defragmenting utility built right into Windows, there's no reason not to run it. This is as simple as right-clicking on the hard drive icon in Windows Explorer and choosing the Defragment option under Tools. Your computer may need to reboot to complete the work, so give yourself some time to run the utility. Defragmenting reassembles and rearranges files that have become scattered across the drive, ensuring that your computer can get to each file as quickly as possible.

FREE SPACE



Slightly more complicated but practically guaranteed effective is freeing space on your hard drive. Unused programs and especially services take up space as well as using computer processing time and even slowing your start-up. The first culprits to look for are any applications that start up each time you launch Windows but aren't doing anything you need. Once everyone learned to delete the application shortcuts in the Start menu's Startup folder, app developers got crafty. You can uninstall programs you don't want at all, but to disable start-up programs, you'll want the System Configuration utility. Click Start Run, and type msconfig. Go to the Startup tab and you can disable the apps you don't want running automatically. You can search online for unfamiliar names; we like the Process Library for this information. And do take a few seconds to research the names; you don't want to disable a critical process.
Next, a trip to the Programs and Features section of the Control Panel in Vista or to the Add and Remove Programs item in Windows XP is well worthwhile. If you're the sort of person who has tried a number of programs, or even if you've just stopped using some of your older software, you'll find a gold mine of opportunity for cleaning up your system. Select and uninstall each of the applications you no longer use. In general, if you're asked whether to remove shared files, it is safest to say no. They don't take much room, and if you remove them you risk breaking some other application.


ELIMINATE REDUNDANCY



It won't make your machine run any better, but if you hate staring at the runt entries left in the Programs control panel after they don't uninstall correctly, then Microsoft's uninstall cleaner will get rid of them.

If your hard drive is filling up, several utilities can help you remove duplicate or unused files. The first one to try is built right into Windows. Disk Cleanup, accessible from your Programs menu under Accessories System Tools Disk Cleanup (or Start Run… cleanmgr) will delete, among other things, the contents of your Recycle Bin, old downloads, temp files, unneeded system logs, and dump files, as well as helping you remove unused Windows components. Then if your machine has more than one drive and your System drive (usually C:) is filling up, consider moving some of your data files to your other drives. Remember not to move applications themselves. They have to be uninstalled and reinstalled if you want them in a different location.

If you suspect you've wound up with multiple copies of large files like photos, music, or videos, there are utilities that can help you locate and delete duplicates. One nice free one is Fast Duplicate File Finder from MindGems; PCMag utility Dupeless 2 is another good choice, though it's not free. Finally, as long as you're getting your hands dirty, now's a good time to make sure you have a backup system and that it's working. See our article on the best backup tools to get some ideas on how to make sure your system is effectively archived.

Whether you take the time to go through all of these steps or just some of them, the time you spend spring-cleaning your system should more than pay for itself in a better-performing machine for the rest of the year.

culled from www.pcmag.com

STARTING YOUR BUSINESS: TAX MATTERS

THE TAX SYSTEM

1 Taxation is the most important source of government revenue. Taxes may be classified under four categories.
(i) Direct Tax
(ii) Indirect Tax
(iii) Progressive Tax
(iv) Regressive Tax

(a) Direct Tax

A direct tax is a tax levied directly on the incomes of individual and business firms. It has effect on the individual or the company solely on the basis of the amount of income received during a given period or the capital owned or acquired.

Forms of Direct Taxes

* Company income tax
* Capital income tax
* Personnel income tax
* Education tax
* Petroleum profit tax
* Unearned income tax


(b) Indirect Tax

These are taxes on goods and services. Indirect tax is levied on a persons outlay rather than his income, that is, the tax are paid indirectly through the purchase price of a good or service and they are collected by the person selling the item.

Forms of Indirect Taxes

* Excise tax (tax on local manufactured goods)
* Import duties & export duties
* Value added tax (formally sales tax)

(c) Progressive Tax

A tax is progressive if the rate of tax increases as the individual’s capacity to pay increases. If the proportion of income taken by tax rises faster than income, the tax is said to be “highly progressive” if the proportions are the same, the tax is proportional.

(d) Regressive tax

A tax is regressive where the rate of tax decreases as income rises or where the tax paid represents a smaller proportion of higher income than for lower incomes.

2 Effect of Tax on Your Choice of Trading Medium

The factors set out below are of general importance in deciding whether you should trade through a limited company or as a sole trader. Their relative weight will depend on your circumstances and your plans for the future.

(a) Tax and Profits

The tax system makes no distinction between an individual and his business. Thus any profits a sole trader makes are aggregated with any other income he may have, irrespective of whether they are withdrawn from business for personal use or retained in the business. Income tax is currently levied at the lowest rate of 5% on the 1st N30,000, 10% on the next N30,000, 15% on the next N50,000, 20% on the next N50,000 and 25% on the balance.

Profits arising in a company are taxed at the rate of 30% of the total profits and education tax at the rate of 2% of assessable profit. A company’s trading profit has no income tax implications for the shareholders unless the company pays dividend, when the gross dividend becomes part of the shareholder’s total income for the tax year in which it was paid. Though withholding tax deducted from such dividend shall be the final tax on the dividend. If a director is receiving remuneration, the remuneration is subject to incur tax in the hands of the director, but is fully deductible in computing the company’s taxable profit except where the company is into property holding and investment where deductible directors fees has been limited to a certain sum per director for a maximum of three directors.

(b) Private Expenditure and Benefits Paid for by the Business

Private expenditure and benefits paid for by the business are disallowed in computing a sole trader’s trading profits subject to income deductible for company income tax purpose. But, for directors of the company, any such expenditure will result in a charge to income tax in the hands of the directors under the benefit in kind rules.

(c) The Payment of Tax Liabilities

Under the PAYE system, tax deducted from employee’ pay must be remitted to the tax office within 10 days after the end of the month, failing which penalty at 10% per annum and interest at 21% will be charged where a direct assessment is made eon an individual, the tax liability must be paid within 14 days to avoid interest and penalty charges.

Company income tax is payable within two months form the date of the notice of assessment and in any case not later than 14th of December of that year of assessment. Where a company file returns on self assessment basis. The cheque for payment of the tax liability must be attached to the returns being filed. Companies not filing returns on self-assessment basis are expected to pay provisional tax within three months of the commencement of each of assessment.

(d) Capital Gain Tax

Capital gain tax is also important if the business will use assets which could give rise to changeable gains on their disposal.

Capital gain tax is payable by both individual trader and company at the rate of 10% on the chargeable gain. The disadvantage of having gains accrue to a company, however, is that an effective double charge to tax can arise. Tax is payable firstly by the company on disposal of the chargeable assets. It will also be payable by the shareholder however, when they dispose of their shares (since the shares value will reflect the gains made by the company).

3 Definition of Terms

Tax Avoidance

Tax avoidance is a deliberate act of the tax payer to pay less than ought to pay legally. It is an act of winning games without actually cheating. It involves the tax payer identifying the loopholes in the tax laws and take advantage of them. It is permissible under law. However, in recent times some tax avoidance schemes have been declared null and void and their real intentions were declared to be tax evasion.

4 Tax Evasion

Tax evasion is an illegal method of reducing one tax liabilities such as incorrect return by omitting or understating one’s income or non-declaration of income and incorrect information. It is punishable with fines payment of double the amount which has been undercharged etc.

5 The Value Added Tax (VAT)

Value added tax is tax charged on value added during the course of production of goods and services. It is a multi-staged level of tax collected on sales at all stages of sales and distribution. VAT is imposed at the single rate of 5% on the invoice value of goods services.

Goods Exempted from VAT

(i) Basic food items
(ii) Medical and pharmaceutical products
(iii)All exported goods
(iv) Books and educational materials
(v) Fertilizers, agricultural and veterinary medicine.
(vi) Agricultural machinery and equipments.

Important Points to Note

Accounts
You should record all income and expenditure exclusive of any VAT. The rate should be recorded in a separate account showing the balance due to or from the Federal Inland Revenue Service through the local VAT office.

Accounting for VAT

An analysis of the accounting records of a typical wholesale who buys VATable products from the manufacturers and sells to the retailer will show all that is Basics to VAT accounting. ………….or service he pays VAT. Cash account is credited for the payment and a corresponding amount is debited to the VAT account if the business. This is the input tax. When he sells VATable products, he collects VAT. Cash account is debited with the amount received while a corresponding amount is credited to the VAT account. This is output tax (where the transaction is on credit the cash account is not involved. Rather, an account is opened for the creditor or debtor as may be appropriate to take the contra entry).

If the output tax is more than the input tax, the excess is remitted to the government. When the remittance is made, the cash account is credited and the corresponding debts goes into the VAT account. The account is then ruled off for the month.

In the event of input tax being more than the output tax (which may occur when purchases outstrip sales) a cash refund by the tax authority is required. When the cash refund us received from the tax office, cash account is debited with the amount of the refund while the VAT account is credited to balance the VAT account which is then ruled off for the month.

Claiming of Refund

A VAT invoice is necessary so that a VAT registered purchaser can reclaim input VAT suffered. The issue of such an invoice usually sets the tax point for a supply. A VAT invoice must show the following details:

(i) The supplies name, address and registration number.
(ii) The date of issue, the tax point and an invoice number.
(iii) The name and address of the customer
(iv) The type of supply (sale, hire purchase).
(v) The rate of any cash discount
(vi) A description of the goods or services.


Registration with Federal Inland Revenue Service

The following are the necessary steps to be taken to register with Federal Inland Revenue Service.

A formal letter would need to be written to the Federal Inland Revenue Service applying for registration.

The letter should be accompanied by:
- A photocopy of the company’s certificate of incorporation or formal letter of business name registration in case of sole-proprietorship.
- A copy of the company’s memo and articles of association, this is not necessary in case of sole-proprietorship.
§ For a company, the following additional information need to be supplied:
o The date of commencement of operation.
o The registered office of the company
o The names and address of the directors
o The address of the company’s bankers
o The principal activity of the company
o The date to which the company’s account would be prepared annually
o The shareholding of the company

However, for company that has commenced operation to obtain a tax clearance certificate, the company must be registered with the Federal inland Revenue Service. If the company has operated for not less than twelve month, a copy of the company’s audited financial statements together with the tax computations thereon must be filed at the tax office within six months of the company’s accounting year end.

Also, for a company that has not commenced operations and has been incorporated for over six months a statement of affairs of the company must be filed with the Federal Inland Revenue Service. In addition, to obtain tax clearance

11 The PAYE Scheme and Procedure

PAYE scheme is a method of collecting tax due on employment incomes including pensions. The employer is regarded as an unpaid agent of the Tax Authority and as such expected to deduct tax on salaries and wages, bonuses, allowances and benefit in kind.

This system ensures that tax is withheld monthly from employees salaries and wages before the employees are paid. The employer is obliged to pay taxes withheld to the relevant tax authority not later than the 14th day of the month following that of deduction.

Procedures

Returns of income and claims for allowances and reliefs are usually filed by each employee with the revenue at the beginning of each tax year. These are examined and filed in the respective employees personal files at the tax office. The allowances due to each employee are computed by the revenue on the basis of the information contained in the returns. These are entered on tax deductions cards and initiated by the appropriate officer.

Liability of Employer

An employer who is required to make deductions from the emoluments paid to an employee shall account to the relevant tax authority in such manner as the relevant tax authority may prescribe for the deduction made.

If the employer fails to make the deduction or fails to account properly for it, the amount of the tax together with a penalty of 10% per annum of the amount plus interest at the prevailing commercial rate shall be recoverable from the employer. The employer can also be held liable for failure to make correct return of his employees and their pay.

Islamic Cleric to Pope: Let's Unite and Kill the Jews Together!

It’s a pity that the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) chief Islamic judge Tayseer Rajab Tamimi will be criticized for rudeness rather than incitement to genocide. And the whole political context of Tamimi’s statements shouldn’t be missed either: he is an appointee of the PA. When he demands that Israel be wiped out either he’s speaking for his bosses or if not they should fire him. Of course, they won’t because in large part he is.

The Syrian regime was even more open with its antisemitism during the Pope's Middle East trip, trying to foment Christian hatred of the Jews quite openly. Even Syria's president, during a previous papal visit back in 2001, told the pontiff:
The Jews "tried to kill the principles of all religions with the same mentality in which they betrayed Jesus Christ and...tried to betray and kill the prophet Muhammad."
In Jerusalem during the current visit, Tamimi stepped to the podium uninvited after Pope Benedict XVI spoke at an interfaith “dialogue” in Jerusalem. He urged Muslims and Christians to unite against Israelis who were allegedly committing mass murder and making Palestinians refugees. Of course, his goal is to commit mass murder and make all Israeli Jews refugees.
Tamimi stepped to the podium uninvited after Pope Benedict XVI spoke at an interfaith “dialogue” in Jerusalem. He urged Muslims and Christians to unite against Israelis who were allegedly committing mass murder and making Palestinians refugees. Of course, his goal is to commit mass murder and make all Israeli Jews refugees.

To his credit, the Pope walked out and his office said the speech by Tamimi was not approved as part of the meeting and was the opposite of what interfaith dialogue should be. Good for the Pope and his staff.
But maybe it was a good thing that Tamimi seized the stage to pontificate. After all, he gave Benedict a real taste of the kind of dialogue that could be expected from radical Islamists and the true positions taken by much of the Palestinian leadership, including the PA itself.
What we do know is that a few days before his diatribe to the Pope, Tamimi confirmed his decision that anyone selling land to Jews or acting as an agent or middle man has committed high treason and the punishment is death.
Before today, Tamimi’s most notable appearance in history was when, as chief Islamic judge in Hebron, he was deported by Israel temporarily in 1980, the day after terrorists killed six Jewish theological students in that city.
His wife and those of the two others deported appealed the action to an Israeli court. The ruling came down in favor of the other two but not for Tamimi because such a strong case had been made about his incitement to violence.
Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, at the time a military official governing the West Bank, said this about Tamimi:
“If we had not deported them, the whole area would have slid into chaos. The settlers would have reacted to the murder and the Arab population would have reacted in return. Simply absolute anarchy. Sheikh Tamimi was an agitator of the worst kind…..”
In May 2008, long after returning to the West Bank, Tamimi was an honored guest at a Palestinian meeting in Los Angeles. While in California he issued a religious decree saying that the Palestinian “Right of Return” was the fundamental right of all Palestinians and should be implemented. There could be no peace agreement without it.

But of course this demand is for Israel to agree to take two million or more Palestinians onto its territory, an act that would lead to massive bloodshed and the dissolution of Israel amidst fire and terror. And that’s what Tamimi wants. But if there is no “Right of Return,” Tamimi and the rest of the PA reject peace and if there is then Israel will cease to exist.

Some two-state solution.
Tamimi, of course, has the perfect right to protest Israeli actions and to support the creation of a national homeland for his people. But that’s not his stance at all. For if people like Tamimi and other PA leaders really wanted a Palestinian state alongside Israel they could have it, and have it remarkably quickly. But since they don’t, any solution is decades off.

Finally, Tamimi’s social views are in line with Islamic mainstream thinking but Westerners should be aware of them. He states, in the MEMRI translation:
"I say to those who demand equality and whine about women's rights that by permitting polygamy, Islam protects the woman's humanity and emotions, and secures her right to marry and gain honor and esteem, instead of becoming a professional paramour lacking in rights whose children are thrown onto the garbage heap."

At any rate, Tamimi does faithfully reflect the views of the PA leadership on political matters, albeit less so in his more purely religious pronouncements. But they picked him and they promoted him and they kept him.
So let’s all listen to Tamimi’s words. The problem isn’t rudeness, it’s insatiable extremism; and it’s not marginal, it’s mainstream.
Also greeting the Pope to the Middle East was a wave of antisemitic materials in Syrian government media. The Syrians and Iranians have produced a steady stream of such programming which is little noted in the West. This week's versions, however, were written to appeal especially to Christian antisemitism.
One article explained:
"The sound of the church [bells] in our Arab homeland announces that Jesus – whom they wounded and whose noble, bleeding wounds they sucked – found in them yet more yearning for blood... and for the death and destruction that they sow throughout the Muslim and the Christian world, because a state of blood vengeance prevails between them and all humanity."

And it continues:
"Perhaps one day the world will awake and realize that these Zionist elements are the bloodletters who hang on the peoples, sucking their blood and consuming their resources." [MEMRI translations.]
Yes, I believe we've seen this before, most notably in living memory promoted by a certain regime in Germany between 1933 and 1945.
But there should be no doubt: for many powerful Islamic forces, the basis for Muslim-Christian dialogue is genocide against the Jews.
Perhaps one day the world will awake and realize that these radical Islamist and extremist Arab nationalist regimes and movements are aggressive seekers of conquest whose defeat is the most important aspect of the present era.

By Barry Rubin*
May 12, 2009

The Other Side Of Failure!

The Other Side Of Failure!

“Your attitude towards failure determines your altitude after failure.” – John MaxwellYour perspective of what the world calls failure is what determines your response and reaction to it, and that in turn determines your outcome when you find yourself in such a situation. Some people see failure as the end of their journey and believe that nothing good could ever come out of them or the situation, so they excuse themselves from every opportunity they may have to succeed again. Yet there are others who see failure differently and they go ahead to make the most of it; they attain astounding successes that make it hard for anyone to believe that they ever failed.Failure never leaves you the same way, it will either leave you flat on the ground or become a stepping stone to your greatness, depending on your perspective. What is the right perspective to failure? What really is failure?It is only an event.The first thing you must understand about failure is that it is only an event, while you are a person, and that means you are superior to failure. An event is simply an occurrence, it only ‘comes to pass,’ not to stay. So, when you see failure around your life, regard it as a passer by, don’t let it stick to you.Every event is short lived, it is not meant to last forever. No matter how long failure has been hanging around your life, you are bound to outlive it. So let the event pass instead of allowing your life to pass with it. If you learn to see failure as an event, you will surely outlive your failure.Failure does not have power to stick to you except you embrace it. Unfortunately, many people celebrate failure to a point where they get into depression, which often leads to a breakdown in health such as hypertension, paralysis, etc. Stop recollecting your sad past, rather, create the future you desire because it takes more effort and pains to recollect than to create. Thinking backward is harder than thinking forward. Memory is more tasking than imagination.Failure is an occurrence. It may occur around your life but the truth is you cannot fail. When the devil says, “You have come to your end”, tell him “This is just a bend!” So, rather than stopping, you simply negotiate your situation as a bend and move on.

The Force Of Courage!

Simply defined, courage is an untiring and undefeatable attitude, born out of determination. It is basically an issue of the heart, although it manifests in outward steps of bravery and boldness. Courage is not subject to the environment, neither does it cower to public opinion.
It can also be described as the ability to take steps in the face of imminent opposition, obstacles, hardships and difficulties. It is the ability to continue on a journey once started.
Apart from giving you the boldness to step out, it supplies the perseverance you need to take you through to the end. If you must win, then you must possess courage.
It takes courage to start and finish a project. Certainly you need boldness to take the first step into any venture, but it takes persistence to keep on pressing against the odds. For instance, it takes boldness to start building a place of worship, but you need a courageous heart to push on when finances appear to be dwindling.
Courage is the ability to retain your language even when circumstances want to force you to change it. This implies that when you possess courage, nothing will be able to intimidate you. A man of courage neither requires outside support nor inspiration to keep going on. He is naturally motivated.

Courage helps you not to murmur and to be able to tame the craving of your flesh when faced with challenges and hardness. Moses was ordained by God to lead Israel out of Egypt. They all went out boldly, but murmured against him at the sight of the Red Sea. “Moses, why didn’t you leave us to die in Egypt, where our graves can be located? Why have you brought us to be food for the whales of this sea?” But Moses demonstrated full confidence. He told them:
…For ye not (be courageous even though some are rebelling), stand still (for murmuring kills), and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them no more for ever.

Ex.14:13 (paraphrased)
As I said earlier, men of courage do not murmur or complain. Their bodies may react, their mind may want to accept the philosophy of the environment, but courage will say to them, “Forward March!”
A great American and former President, Abraham Lincoln, suffered political defeats all the polls at several levels, yet he persisted until he finally won the presidential election.
What prevented him from despairing was courage. Had he given up at any of the point of failure, he would have missed his time of visitation and America would also have been deprived of the impact of his able leadership. Now Abraham Lincoln is a household name in America. This is the product of courage.
Prophet Micah said prophetically:
Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy:
When I fall, I shall arise… Micah 7:8
King David adds:
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. Ps.37:24
Courage does not count the number of falls one had, but looks forward to more opportunities of success. You are permitted to fall a couple of times, but never count yourself out of the game until you win! The man of divine wisdom, king Solomon, recapitulates this truth:
For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again… Prov.24:16
Indeed, Abraham Lincoln fell several times, but he rose up after each fall. Friend, even if you have fallen today, your tomorrow is full of promise. You can become a success.
God neither takes pleasure in your failure nor delights in your defeat. You can rise again. Disappointments and defeat can be painful, but the joy of the triumph that awaits you will definitely overshadow the pains.
It takes courage to live life to the full, and that courage is yours! Whatever project you had dropped before, pick it up again. Decide to rise, and you will. No matter how deep the pit is, a man of courage soon finds his way out of it with a smile on his face. So, you are coming out of any pit you may have found yourself in now, in Jesus’ name.
Courage can turn your shattered life around and make you a celebrity in your generation and generations to come.

One of the foremost qualities of our Master Jesus was courage. Five thousand men, in addition to the undisclosed, but I assume larger number of women, and children, were very hungry. With great ease, He said to His disciples, “Make them sit down.” That is to say, “Every one of them will be satisfied, just get them to sit down in groups for Me.” That is courage!
Also, when Elisha was besieged by the Syrian army, his servant said, “Alas, my master! How shall we do?” Elisha’s confident reply was:
…Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
2kings 6:16
Many have lost their heritage in God through fear and lack of courage. They have failed to realize that there is a place of comfort, joy and fulfillment awaiting them, but only courage can take them there.

You are worth more than you think. You are meant for greater heights and have a glorious destiny in God; but you require courage to take you to that place of destiny.
Everything in life calls for courage. Giving, for instance, requires courage. When it is time to sow financial seeds, the “lawyer” within retorts, “How will you eat? How will you…?” You will realize that all the “hows” point to facts and not the truth of God’s Word. You need courage to dismiss those endless “hows” and say, “ I will follow the truth, even though it doesn’t feel too good now.”

Fruits of Salvation

How do we tell true Christians from those who have yet to receive salvation?

The Bible, which we Christians believe to be the Word of God, suggests it clearly: Salvation manifests.While we affirm that a display of good works and virtues does not lead to salvation, it is our firm conviction that the saving grace of Jesus Christ turns a person from being a sinner into a wonderful new creation.This article, however, does not seek to throw judgment on how other Christians behave but only encourages an evaluation of how we apply Christian virtues in our daily lives.Among these virtues are love, faith, righteousness, humility, compassion, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, selflessness, self-control, temperance, respect, hospitability, thankfulness, charity, forgiveness and purity of heart.

The apostle Paul said: "Overall these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.Salvation is a result of our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God who assumed a bodily form and offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins.For God so loved the world He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)All men have sinned against God, starting from the fall of Adam and Eve from the Paradise.For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)As it is written, there is no one righteous, not even one (Romans 3:10).For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).Jesus Christ said:I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)Yet to all who received Jesus Christ, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12)That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:9) When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins. (Colossians 2:13)Salvation is a pure grace from God. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9) He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy (Titus 3:5 in part). Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14) The Holy Spirit moves our body to follow the will of God and recognize the truth. He is our Counselor, who lives in us. "The Holy Spirit convicts the world of guilt, in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment." (John 16:8) The indwelling of the Holy Spirit turns us into a new creation. "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17) Being a new creation, we demonstrate the virtues of Jesus Christ. "The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23) Under the control of the Holy Spirit, we will secure our salvation until the coming of the Lord. He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ. (Philippians 1:6) Paul exhorts Christians to live as new creation and abandon the ways of the sinful world.

Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness. (2 Timothy 2:13) Do not offer parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life, and offer the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness. (Romans 6:13) There will be terrible times in the last days. 

People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. (2 Timothy 3:1-5) Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (2 Timothy 2:22) If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of Him. (I John 2:29) Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:1-2 in part) The Bible has emphasized the importance of loving God and our fellow men. But if anyone obeys God’s word, God’s love is truly made complete in Him. This is how we know we are in Him. (I John 2:3-5) We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. (I John 3:14) Jesus said: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. (Luke 6:27-29) His command: Love each other as I have loved you. (John 15:12) Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you that you may be sons of your Father in Heaven. (Matthew 5:44) How can we show our love? John said: Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. (I John 3:18) Since love comes from God, we have the power to love one another and defeat the sins of the world. And His commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only He who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. (I John 5:3-5) This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity in him, how can the love of God be in him? (I John 3:16-18). About love, Jesus said, Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. (John 15:13-14) God is love.

Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in Him (I John 4:16). Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (I John 4:7-8). Paul said that he is nothing without love (I Corinthians 13:2). Paul described love this way. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (I Corinthians 13:4-8) Paul cited other virtues that are expected from true Christians, although the next passage particularly refers to the elders of the Church. Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. (I Timothy 3:2-3) He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church? (I Timothy 3:4) Therefore as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And overall these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. (Colossians 3:12-15) And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Colossians 3:17) Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. (Colossians 3:23) All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. (I Peter 1:5) Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:2) God has called us to live in peace. (I Corinthians 7:15)