Playing Games

"One day as he was teaching the people

in the temple courts and preaching the gospel,

the chief priests and the teachers of the law,

together with the elders,

came up to him.

'Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,'

they said. 'Who gave you this authority?'

He replied, 'I will also ask you a question.

Tell me, John's baptism--was it from heaven, or men?'

They discussed it among themselves and said,

'If we say, From heaven, he will ask,

Why didn't you believe him?

But if we say, From men, all the people will stone us,

because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.'

So they answered,

'We don't know where it was from.'

Jesus said,

'Neither will I tell you by what authority

 I am doing these things.'"

Luke 20:1-8

I got a taste of politics when I actively represented our community in the political process necessary to establish a county park in our neighborhood.  I attended county council meetings, met with our councilman several times to learn how best to proceed, lobbied on behalf of our community to the park commission board as well as other council members and spoke at length to the developer who owned the land in question.  Even though I'm not inclined to enter into politics, I got a snapshot-view of how our representatives and government leaders conduct themselves.  I quickly got the idea that there was a lot of posturing going on and very little genuine concern for each other as fellow humans.  Instead, most people involved were focused on what could be gained from others, seeing them simply as pawns in a game that must be played in order to receive the desired outcome.

While Jesus is not a politician, He knows about the games that people play in every walk of life.  He can see my heart and perceives my motivation and my objective.  When I interact with Him, He knows whether or not I'm truly interested, or just trying to manipulate the situation.  As a follower of Christ, I can't get it my way and vow to abide by Him.  

Jesus does not reveal Himself to me in an intimate way when I'm not authentic with Him.  If I want to get to know Jesus, I must sincerely seek a relationship with Him, want Him to get His way in my life, and welcome the truth from Him.  Otherwise, I'm just playing games.

Honesty

I've always heard it said that, "Honesty is the best policy."  It is God's command that we tell the truth, although there are times when this is risky.  The Ten Boom family was faced with this predicament while hiding Jews in their home in Holland during the Holocaust of World War II.  As Gestapo searched, they didn't want to outright lie, but also knew they couldn't risk compromising their efforts.  Before they could decide on a strategy, however, the soldiers stormed in and peppered the family with questions as they sat around the table.  Beneath their feet hid some Jewish people in a concealed partition under the floor boards.  Betsie, calm and sure in her conviction to follow God's commands, truthfully answered, "There are Jews hidden under the floor in a secret compartment."  The intruders were so surprised by her blunt answer that they burst out laughing, sure that such a bold statement could not be true.  The Gestapo left that day without finding a thing.

God wants me to be as bluntly honest with Him as Betsie was with her enemies.  He loves me and knows my every thought and struggle so there is nothing that will shock or surprise Him.  Honesty is a sign of trust in my relationship with Him.  If I'm afraid to tell Him the truth of my feelings, fears or struggles, then it's as if I were saying to Him, "I don't think You can handle it.  I'm not sure if I can trust you not to turn Your back on me."

I can be reassured that God knows me intimately and loves me anyway.  (Psalm 139, 1 Timothy 1:15-16)  There is nothing I can do or say that will separate me from His love.  (Romans 8:38-39)  He loves me no matter what.  But what I really need to accept and let sink into my being, is that I can trust God with my innermost struggles.  He will not use it against me, beat me over the head with it, or drag it out years later as leverage to persuade me to do what He wants.  No, my fears and troubles are safe with Him.

If I want to get to know Jesus, I will need to be ready to share openly and honestly with Him.

Follower

Organizing games for young children reveals many things about human sin nature.  When playing a game like Follow the Leader or Mother May I?, everybody wants to play the lead role.  Few kids are ever content with following.

Likewise, I prefer to be in charge of my own life.  I know with what I feel comfortable and of what I think I'm capable.  I choose what I think is best for me and will make me look good.  I try to stay away from humiliating, difficult or painful situations.  

When I vowed to follow Jesus, though, I declared that He was my Lord.  Instead of choosing for myself, now it is up to me to let Him lead me through my days.  Consequently, I am learning to be a good follower.

This means that when faced with a dilemma, I commit it into His hands and vow to not move forward without seeking God's guidance and waiting for His go-ahead. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Or if my heart is not at peace, instead of changing things in my life in a search for serenity, I will set aside all worries and look to my Father for His providence.  (Matthew 6:25-34)

Other times I'm driven to succeed and lose sight of God's direction as I run ahead of Him.  Being a good follower means I'll need to backtrack until He's returned to His rightful position as my Shepherd. (Psalm 23:1-3)

If I want to get to know Jesus, I'll need to learn how to follow.

Truth

Sometimes I ask my husband the dreaded question, "How does this outfit look on me?  Does it flatter my figure or does it make me look fat?"  His hesitation tells me everything I didn't want to know. He doesn't want to hurt my feelings or send me into a tailspin of insecurity so he takes a moment to compose his answer.  My intention was not to hear the cold, hard truth; what I really was looking for was reassurance.

There are times when I play these games with God, too.  I want support, encouragement and comfort but I don't really want to hear the truth.  Paul gave a charge to Timothy that addressed this sinful attitude of mine.  He said that Timothy should, 'Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, encourage--with great patience and careful instruction.  For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.  Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." (2 Timothy 4:2-3)

As much as it pains me to admit, there are many times when my ears are itching.  I'd much rather hear, "You're a good person.  You try to do good things and that's what matters." than to hear the truth that I'm a sinner with no hope apart of Jesus of being good enough to earn God's favor.  (Romans 3:23, 6:23)  

"Everyday can be like a Friday if you do things God's way," sounds great to me but the reality of the persecution and troubles I'll face as a believer sobers me up. (John 15:20, John 16:33)

There are other times when, "You have plenty of time to live for God later.  Right now, focus on you," appeals to me until I hear that no one knows when Jesus will return so I'd better be ready.  (Mark 13:32)

If I want to get to know Jesus, I'll need to be willing to hear and accept the truth.

It's easy for me to play games with God and only say what I think I should to Him, try to call the shots in my life and then ask Him for His blessing, and only hear what I want to hear, but He wants to go deeper with me.  He will only reveal more of Himself to me when I am honest with my struggles before Him, desire His will above all else, and delight in the truth.  It is then that I'll stop the manipulation and begin an authentic relationship with my Lord.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can stop pretending that everything is okay and open up honestly with my Creator.

When do I insist on being in control yet try to put up a facade of submission?

How am I fooling myself into thinking that I'm ready for the truth but continue to live by the lies the world tells?