Safe!

I haven't really been watching the World Series with all that's been going on around here. I did manage to watch the Packers beat the Vikings Sunday night but that's about it sports-wise. However I WOULD like to use a few sports analogies in this post today to make something clear to a young friend of mine.

During the Packer game Aaron Rodgers threw a short little pass to Jordy Nelson. It was a simple crossing pattern across the middle of the field. But God has gifted Jordy with tremendous running speed and it wasn't long before Jordy was celebrating a touchdown in the end zone.

Prior to his scoring that touchdown, Jordy was running hard. He had to elude some would-be tacklers on his way to ""the promised land." And only after Jordy crossed the goal line did he finally have time to relax and celebrate. What joy for Packer fans everywhere!

Have you ever seen a baseball player, rounding third base and headed for home? I'm not talking about someone who has just hit a home run and is simply trotting around the bases. I'm talking about the guy who is not sure whether he is going to make it home safely or not.

He is the guy who is extremely focused on what he is doing and is running as fast as he can. He knows there is going to be a play at the plate and he REALLY wants to arrive there ahead of the ball.

Maybe he's run past the third base coach's signal to stop. The coach isn't sure whether the runner is going to make it or not. But the runner is focused. As the base runner gets near the plate maybe he sees one of his teammates behind the plate flapping his arms and yelling for him to "SLIDE!!!"

The catcher receives the ball and begins to turn as the base runner begins his slide. The crowd stands and the look to the umpire . . . the final deciding authority, for the signal.

SAFE!!!

Our lives are a lot like that. We spend our time running around, totally focused our our lives and our jobs, that we forget all about OUR final judge, Jesus.

Did you know that God (Jesus) transcends time? He was there when the world began and will be there when it ends. He saw you get born and he has already seen you die. Time means nothing to him.

Did you ever see the movie The Matrix? That scene with the lady in the red dress? All the people are scurrying around, doing the same thing day after day. Focused on their own lives. But then Morpheus says "Freeze it!" Then he tells Neo, "If you are not one of us, you are one of them."

Sounds a lot like the words of Jesus . . .

"Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters." - Matthew 12:30

Matrix Training Video

God transcends time.

How easy would it be for someone to score a touchdown if all the other players were suddenly frozen in place like the people in the street in The Matrix. Baseball player wouldn't have to slide, hoping to score a run. He could just stroll up to the plate, touch it with his toe and head for the dugout. Simple.

It's that easy to be safe in God's Kingdom. It doesn't take much effort at all. Read this from the book of Matthew . . .

"23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first." - Matthew 19:23-30

We must repent of our sins, realizing there is nothing that we can do on our own to earn our way into heaven. We must acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and our savior. It is our faith in Him and our making Him Lord of our lives, surrendering ourselves to His will, that allows Him to save us. We must humble ourselves and submit to Him is every area of our lives. And in that way . . . as the scripture says, the last shall be first.

"12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” - Acts 4:12

"23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." - Romans 6:23

"8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - 9 not by works, so that no one can boast." - Ephesians 2:8-9