When they were seated, he began to teach them:
We are in a football stadium tonight. Championship teams have played here. Games have been won and lost on this field. But I’m here to tell you about the greatest game of all. It is a different game than football. There are no stadium seats, no spectators, not even a sideline. The game of life consists of a playing field, nothing else. Everyone is a player, and that includes you. The choice you have is not whether you play but how you play.
God is the Owner of the field on which the game of life is played. Never forget this – you are playing on His turf. He is a loving Owner. He cares about His players more than they can imagine. Never forget this – God loves you. And He is not an absentee Owner. He is always present at His field. Never forget this – God is at your fingertips.
Some of you tonight are searching for God, as if He is somewhere else. Quit searching, for He is here. Some of you are not looking for God at all. Start looking, for He is here. Some of you have already found Him. Continue your discovery, for He is here.
Yes, God is here, right at your fingertips. If you consider yourself poor, you are really rich, because God is here. If you are grieving, rejoice. God is here. If you suffer abuse, endure, because God is here. If you are loving and peaceful and forgiving and consistent, and thus are playing by His rules, don’t give up. He is here, and He approves.
Many of you are running from God. Stop! There is no other field to run toward. You can’t escape His presence. Many of you are running to get to God. Stop! He is with you already. Many of you are ignoring God, as if He can be ignored. Stop being ignorant! He is here, even if you don’t acknowledge Him.
You have heard that you can enter God’s presence by going to church. But I tell you that going to church won’t bring you into His presence. You’re already there. You have heard that you can reach God by reading the Bible. But I tell you that reading the Bible won’t do it. He was with you before you opened the cover. You have heard that you should live right and do good to get close to God. But I tell you loving one another and giving to the needy won’t usher God into your world. He is here, right at your fingertips, whether or not you play by His rules. Don’t misunderstand me. I have not come to do away with church, the Bible, or good deeds. I have come to give them their proper place. They don’t manufacture God’s presence; they celebrate it.
It’s God’s field on which you play, His rules by which you are judged, His life that you have been granted. You cannot change this. You can try to make your own rules. You can put on a uniform of another color and fight against Him. You can pretend He’s not there at all. You can even claim the field as your own, seeking to usurp His ownership. But nothing really has changed. He is still the Owner, you the player; and He is here, right at your fingertips.
Don’t judge others. You’re way behind on the scoreboard yourself. Don’t fret over possessions. None of it is really yours. Don’t show off when you are good. God’s approval is all that matters. Be like salt. It flavors the main dish but does not get the praise. Flavor your world in a way that brings glory to God. Be like a spotlight. It shines so the singer will be seen and applauded. Shine your light so that God will be seen and praised.
Do you know how much God loves you? He sent His Son to His field as a player so that you would know the truth. You killed His Son, as if rejecting the truth would destroy it. But God’s Son defeated death and rose from the grave. He lives today and proclaims the truth to you: “God is here, right at your fingertips.”
The day before a football game, one coach carved a game-winning play into a rock. The other coach drew his game-winning play in the dirt. On game day there was a heavy rain. The wise coach’s play remained, because it had been carved in a rock. The foolish coach’s play was destroyed, because it had been drawn in the dirt. Who do you think won the game?
If you hear my words tonight and act on them, it will be like carving your life in a rock. Nothing will defeat you. Victory will be yours. But if you hear my words and do not act on them, you will be drawing your life in the dirt. You will not survive the storm. Your defeat will be lopsided.
Listen to the voice of Jesus: “I am the Rock. Carve yourself in Me.”
No comments:
Post a Comment