Rachelle and I watched the movie 21 which is based on a true story of some brilliant colleges students who take Vegas for millions with their ability to count cards.
The main character, Ben Campbell is a shy, poor, hard-working student who sees no way to go to Harvard medical school apart from a scholarship until he is asked to join a team of card counters. Weekend trips to Vegas begin to change Ben; while he said he would quit when hed had enough for college the allure of money and the fun of being a person he had never been become too much.
The movie is really about a guy who loses himself. I think that describes the Israelites in the time of the Judges. They get lost in who they really are and who they are created to be. The Judges were far from perfect, but they were available to be used by God so that God could communicate His desires with the inhabitants of the Promised Land.
Looking at the Judges and their availability for God will be our primary task through our series, but for a moment think about how easily we lose ourselves. The Bible teaches us that we are made wonderfully and have a purpose. But there is competition for our identity... I think that's what Jesus said to His disciples:
Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?
Matt 16:24-26 (MSG)
We lose ourselves when we neglect and forget about all that God has done for us. God demonstrated his grace by sending these judges to remind people of His power so that they might find their identity in Him and not in their own efforts.
Stay focused, stay alert, and never lose sight of who you are.
1 comment:
You need to update this! I've already read it four times!
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