CHILDHOOD GAMES AND ADULT REALITIES

BIBLE PASSAGE:
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my
shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
(Psalm 18:2)

MEDITATION:
Remember when you were a child and you pretended bad guys were
chasing you? You may have pretended that you were a great hunter
and were on a safari excursion. In both these instances, you would
pretend you had a weapon of some kind available for protection.

Sometimes you used rocks as your weapons, right? With enough
rocks, you could defeat the bad guys or get food for survival in
your pretend world. Unfortunately, you might have had times
when one of your misguided weapons (rock) caused you to get
into trouble in the real, non-pretended world (oops!).

At other times, perhaps you pretended that you were a soldier
in a battle against another country’s army. Or maybe you were
a cowboy who was being attacked by Indians. In either case, you
would use boxes, or anything else you could find, to make a fort
for your protection (it was your safe haven).

Sometimes you might have enjoyed pretending to be a hero on a
horse who rescued someone just in the nick of time. Kids in later
generations often played Star Wars pretend games. They needed
weapons to shoot lasers at the aliens, but they also needed a shield
for deflecting the rays from the weapons of the bad guys.

As we know, when we grow into adulthood, we trade our pretend
world for the real world. It doesn’t take long for us to discover that
some of the things we pretended to have as a child, we actually need
as an adult.

We need rocks, a safe haven, a hero to rescue us, and a shield. The
psalmist tells us that God is all of these wrapped up into one. He is
our weapon (rock) to throw at sin and chase it away from us.

When we are in a close relationship with Him, we feel protected,
because He is our safe haven. When we are in the bondage of sin,
He is our hero who comes to rescue us. He is our shield to deflect
the temptations thrown at us by Satan.

Isn’t it refreshing to know that all the good things we dreamed
about as a child are available to us as adults? We aren’t capable
of dealing with the evil things of the world without God’s help.
He knows that, and He is there for those who belong to Him.

After Jesus was resurrected to be with Him, God gave believers
the Holy Spirit to be our constant companion, who will help us
in our efforts to live a righteous life. One thing we need to realize
is, we need to allow (invite) the Holy Spirit to have control of our
life (which includes our thoughts, actions, words, attitudes, goals,
etc.), so He can fully unleash His power in our lives.
    “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give
      good gifts to your children, how much more will
      your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those
      who ask him!”
      (Luke 11:13)

Why is God all these things for us? It’s simple; it’s because
He loves us and wants what is best for us! Conversely, Satan
doesn’t even like us, so he wants what’s bad for us. It makes
us wonder why anyone would not choose God, doesn’t it?

The scriptures tell us that as the return of Jesus gets closer, the
world will become a darker place filled with much evilness and
turmoil. We can see this prophecy unfolding before us today as
the love God wants us to have is non-existent, or growing cold
in the hearts of many.

There has been an increase in children becoming estranged from
their parents. As an example, recently we have seen how a child
who was raised in a home of respectable and responsible people
chose to take a different route than his parents.

As a result, he gravitated to a dark world with evil ideas and took
the life of a godly person who had a mission of encouraging young
people to realize they are valuable, they have a voice, and they need
to align themselves with God and His standards for living.

This godly man (Charlie Kirk), based his advice on what he read
in the bible. If the young man who took his life knew God’s Ten
Commandments, maybe he would not have allowed himself to
be involved in the evilness in opposition to God’s principles.

Maybe if Charlie’s murderer knew and respected the fifth
    (“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be
        long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”)
and sixth
    (“You shall not murder.”)
commandments, a godly man would still be alive today and having
a positive influence on young people around the world.

God is not the Author of confusion, so His commands are blunt, simple
emphatic, and without exceptions. God never said there are sometimes
when we can dishonor our parents, or murder someone (even if we do
not agree with them on some things). The world wants believers to be
tolerant of sinful actions, but it is not willing to be tolerant and accept
the commands and guidelines of God.

Mankind leans toward evil and opposition to God, which means we
can be vulnerable to breaking His commandments whenever we fail
to have a relationship with Him, and if we do not fellowship with Him.
As Christians, we have a responsibility to believe and obey everything
in God’s Word as it is written. Mankind has not been given any special
privilege of redefining God’s guidelines to fit ungodly lifestyles.

God offers us what we need to cope with the world we live in, and He
also promises something much greater for those who belong to Him.
Believers will be able to spend an eternity with God in heaven.

The time we spend on earth has measurable limits, but how can we
measure eternity? If heaven is where we will be forever, doesn’t it
make sense that we should practice living now, in the same manner
we will live in heaven?

Following the ways and attractions of the world will not prepare
us for heaven. Nor will they prepare lost people for their destiny.
Why? Because Hell is not an extension of the world we live in, it
is far worse! That’s why the lost need to forsake the world and
seek God’s salvation, which is available because of the great love
sacrifice of Jesus (He loves us more than we could ever imagine).

ACTION:
Aren’t you glad that God is all we need, and all we need is God?
The psalmist reminds us of the joy of having a close relationship
with God. He doesn’t say anything about his trying to battle the
challenges of life in his own strength; instead, he knows (and tells
us) that God is his advocate who will protect, guide and bless him.

God is our friend who understands our worries and
how they impact us, so He has given us this advice:
    “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your
      life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor
      about your body, what you will put on. Is not life
      more than food, and the body more than clothing?”
      (Matthew 6:25)

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for being the Guide,
Protector, and Rescuer of those who call on Your
name. I realize that I cannot defend myself in my
own strength. Thank You for Your gift of the Holy
Spirit to live within me and walk with me on a daily
basis. Teach me to give up my selfishness and allow
Your Spirit to be in control of all facets of my life. I
know that with the Holy Spirit’s guidance, I can live
a righteous life, and point others to Your Son, Jesus.”

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