Psalm 118:6 “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?”
I am not a sports person, but I know one thing about sports. No one likes to lose. After seeing how much teams are willing to pay for certain players to join them, I have a pretty good idea of how badly competitors want to win. Even watching high school basketball or football games, it’s clear that no one goes into a game hoping to lose.
The same could be said of life. “Keeping up with the Joneses” is not the goal anymore; people seem to always be striving to get ahead, to be bigger and better than their neighbor. No one wants to come in last in the game of life. Everyone wants to be on the winning team, and when there are only two teams from which to choose, make sure you pick the right one!
The first team is the one in which the Lord Jesus Christ is the Captain. His team members have accepted Him as their leader, and they strive to follow His commands, which are written in His team manual – the Bible. Their goal is to reflect His teachings in their lives, serve Him faithfully, and share His game plan with everyone!
The second team is the one that is led by Satan. Some members on this team embrace sin and wickedness openly, while others are ignorant of the ungodliness that governs this team in which they are a part. Some members on this team are active players, while others are merely benchwarmers; they don’t even realize they are part of this team! The truth is if you’re not on one team, you’re on the other! Make sure you choose the right one!
How does one pick a team? The reality is that we are all born on the second team! What? That’s right! According to Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” This means that you are automatically on Satan’s team unless you accept the offer from Jesus to join His team! Wow, that sounds very harsh! It would be if we didn’t have the choice to change teams, but we do! You see, it’s not up to each individual team to draft you. The decision is yours. You either stay where you are, or you move to the other team.
Moving to Jesus’ team is quite easy. Jesus paid a great price for you to be a part of His team, but He never forces people to accept His offer to join Him. The choice is up to you. According to His team manual, all you need to do is accept His free gift of salvation and forgiveness of sins (John 3:16, Romans 10:9-10, Acts 16:31) to become part of His team and receive the ultimate prize… eternal life with Him!
Did you know there are also cheerleaders in the game of life? According to the Bible, Jesus’ team is surrounded by a specific group of supporters that cheer them on. Hebrews 12:1 states “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” Additionally, the teammates on Jesus’ team are encouraging one another through prayer, fellowship, and corporate worship as they go through life!
The cheerleaders for Satan’s team don’t actually care about their own members. Instead, they focus their efforts in trying to thwart those on Jesus’ team. 1 Timothy 4:1 states “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.”
Remember, I mentioned that people like to be on the winning team? Well, in life there is only one team that wins, and that team is the one led by Jesus Christ. 1 John 4:4 states “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” As members of Jesus’ team, His Holy Spirit dwells within us, and we are assured of a victorious finish!
When life’s race is finished, and all is said and done, everyone on Jesus’ team will receive their heavenly reward from God the Father and hear those precious words:
“Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” – Matthew 25:21
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You do have a choice… which team are you on?