Given April 16, 2011
It’s baseball season and you’re coaching in your first game. The other coach is a veteran of the game and is knowledgeable of the rules but you’ve been spending time practicing your team, getting the uniforms and equipment ready, and making sure your camera is ready to get some good shots.
In the first inning, your team gets the third and final out but the other coach informs you that his team gets four outs. Having not read the rule book, you’re not sure what the rule is and he sounds very convincing. Later in the game, one of your guys hits the ball over the fence for a homerun and trots around the bases, first, second, third, and home. As your players cheer, the other coach comes out and states that the rule says when you hit a homerun you’re supposed to run to third, second, first, then home. Since your player didn’t do that, he’s out. Again, you don’t know the rule and give in to the other coach. This type of thing happens several more times during the game and, of course, your team loses. Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it? Who would go into a game without reading, studying, and knowing the rules and how they apply to the game?
Well, there is a rule book called the Bible and we’re involved in the game of life. The opposition knows the rules well but tries to bend and misinterpret them to us in order to, “kill, steal and destroy” us, (John 10:10). The devil and his troops are always trying to deceive us by lying about what the rules are. And tragically, they are successful many times because we don’t know the rules! We haven’t read our rule book, the Bible and don’t know our rights. “Study to show yourself approved to God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15). A command of God. “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11). We don’t have time to pull out the Book and look up the rule.
Jesus was in the same game we are in but He knew the rules and told Satan three times, “It is written…” (Matthew 4). Satan left Him alone. Are you reading your Bible every day? Are you listening to the thousands of free Bible-based messages and podcasts available for download on the Internet? We need the church to know the rules so we can be a force for God in our area. Know the rules!
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