Are you an Escapee?

I have to confess, I have missed going to Pismo this year for our Youth Group camping trip.   One of the many things I miss about this trip is playing Capture the Flag at night on the sand dunes.  At my 45+ years young...I still like the thrill of guarding the flag, deflecting flag stalkers and screaming at the top of my lungs for my team to rally around me to protect our flag from imminient capture.

 

I think those moments of Capture the Flag...remind me of other thrilling moments from my childhood.  The long hot days of summer and playing outside games in the neighborhood until there was just a pale orange afterglow on the horizon after the sun went down.  We'd all hope and pray and BEG someone's parents to sit out on their front porch so we could play a little longer "under adult supervision."

 

We'd play freeze tag.  We'd play hide-n-seek.  We'd play steal the bacon.  We'd play kick the can.  I LOVED playing games.  I loved just barely escaping the desperate reach of whomever was "it" and squealing with delight.  And, in my youth, I was fleet of foot and quick to slip through grasping/grabbing hands.  I had this false sense of invincibility.  I also had this big mouth and annoying bravado as I taunted whomever was "it."  Yeah, I was the bratty little sister.  Most times, I could back up my swagger with fast sprints.

 

You've all been there.  And, like me, you've all been caught.  The realization that your game-playing freedom has come to an end penetrates your juvenile brain and you react in, usually, one of two ways.  Either your squeal with frustrating, "say it ain't so" angst or you immediately begin to whine, beg and accuse someone of cheating.  Usually, I was the latter (hey, I ADMIT I was a bratty little sister).

 

As I grew older, and perhaps a tad more mature, I began to realize it was necessary for everyone to admit when they were caught...quickly...so gameplay could continue.  All the time spent arguing, debating, etc., chipped away at the time we had left to play for that particular evening.  We never had draws.  Every game resulted in someone being caught.  That was the way of games played on the street, after the sun went down, in the summers of my youth.

 

Today's Devo made me think about the games we played as children and even the games we now play with the Youth Group.  No one ever wants to get caught.  Everyone wants to keep playing.

 

This Devo also reminded me of the serious game everyone plays with eternity.    Those who have trusted Christ will escape the just wrath of God on their sin.  That is what we are saved from.  Those who reject Jesus as Savior will NOT escape and eternally experience the righteous wrath of God.  There is no whining, begging or "slipping" away anyone will be able to do to trick, or maneuver or sneak past God's certain punishment of sin.

 

The Gospel is serious Good News.  Peter was passionate about his plea with those listening to his message on the day of Pentecost.  Today's Devo elaborates on that.  Are you passionate about telling everyone you know about the serious Good News of the Gospel?  Or, are you still playing games thinking this life isn't about eternity?

 

I love you all and pray for you daily!
 

PlanetWisdom.com Devotionals

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Escape! Posted: 28 Jul 2009 02:22 PM PDT "With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, 'Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.' Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day." (Acts 2:40-41) We're continuing our snapshot look at the birth of the New Testament church. In a way, you could call Pentecost the church's grand opening. That's the day the Holy Spirit came and filled the new believers, the day Peter fearlessly preached the truth about Jesus right out loud in public, the day 3,000 became Christians. They responded to his pleading: "Save yourselves form this corrupt generation." He was likely talking about the generation of Israelites responsible for rejecting Jesus as Messiah. But it would be fair to call every generation corrupt, I guess. Yours is, too. The majority of your peers have rejected Jesus and operate according to a system that is all about searching for meaning in pleasure, possessions, and status -- and coming up short. Coming up doomed, in fact, to a hopeless eternity. The only escape from that system, from that fate -- from the path of your generation -- is through faith in Jesus into the family of God. In other words, the church is collection of escapees freed from a failed worldview and finally headed in the only direction that makes any sense -- toward our home with Christ. It's not the easy way right now, but it's easier when we all head that way together. Are you an escapee? If so, who are you running with? Think: If you've escaped a failed worldview (and hell) by putting your faith in Jesus instead of self (or anything else), are you doing anything to help anyone else make it over the wall? What could you do? Pray: If you're a Christian, thank God for helping you to escape from unbelief and into a relationship with Him through faith in Christ. Thank Him for all the others who have escaped since the day of Pentecost. Do: Get all of your friends together and wear prison-style orange jumpsuits to church next week, explaining to everyone that you are escapees from your unbelieving generation. Okay, we both know you won't really do that. But it's fun to think about. Visit PlanetWisdom.com for more great resources!