As I am approaching my 49th birthday I will admit that I am getting a little nostalgic. In the past couple of years I have started taking all the pictures that Dawn and I have taken in our marriage and scanning them into the computer. What a treat to sit and think back how the Lord has blessed our family. Well, since the passing of my two sisters, I have also received all of my parents pictures to scan in as well. What a treat. There are pictures that I didn’t remember us having and places that I had forgotten we had been, old age I think. Anyway, it got me thinking to games that we used to play as teenagers in youth and on overnights. You know the game “truth or dare?” There was another game that was like it in the 80’s called “Would you rather…”
In thinking back to those times and those games, I got to thinking about how the enemy tries to get us to go against our Heavenly Father. He brings choices into our lives, just like the games listed above. In truth or dare, you have a choice to either answer a question truthfully, or take a dare. Some task that you have to accomplish, that most of the time was something embarrassing. Of course when we were playing it we gave tasks that would more than likely get someone into trouble if our parents ever found out. The enemy hopes that we will take the dare and walk away from the truth. Because if we follow the truth he knows that we will have life and have it more abundantly. Jesus said, I am the way the truth and the life.
There were times in playing those games that the decision was hard to do. Do you expose something personal in your life or do something that may get you into deep trouble? It reminded me of some of what Christ must have felt in the Garden before He was arrested. Think about it a minute and think about His prayer. Luke 22:42 (GW) 42 “Father, if it is your will, take this cup {of suffering} away from me. However, your will must be done, not mine.” Can’t you just hear someone saying, “Would you rather…” I’m sure that Christ would rather have had the cup of suffering lifted from Him. Wouldn’t you have wanted that? I know that I would have. I can see Satan sitting there yelling, “Take the dare, take the dare, take the dare. I dare you to take the cup of suffering. These puny people don’t deserve this gift of salvation. Look at how many times You have reached to them and they have walked away from You. Don’t You remember Noah? Sure the world was destroyed, Noah was a righteous man, but not soon after the flood there was sin again. What about the times that you sent all the judges? They followed you for a little while, but then back to their same old ways. Look at how fickle these people have been while you have been here on earth. They have followed You and when they got what they wanted, they left You. What about Your disciples, they can’t even stay awake and pray. Would you rather…? The truth of the matter is that even if you die for them they still won’t follow you, so why not just go back to Your Father and leave them to me.”
I don’t know about you and maybe you can’t hear that conversation, but I sure can. However, I’m so glad today that He chose truth and followed the plan all the way to the cross. Without the cross I wouldn’t be living the blessed life that I am today. I wouldn’t be blessed with the great family that I have. I wouldn’t be blessed to serve in His Kingdom today. Lastly, I wouldn’t be blessed in knowing that I’m going to spend all eternity with Him in heaven. Let me leave you with this, if you don’t know Jesus as your Savior, He is waiting for you to open your heart and invite Him in. You see, this isn’t truth or dare, he is the truth and everything else is the dare (lie). Follow the truth today and enjoy the blessings of the Lord.
Until next time, Love all of you,
Pastor Rob
