By Dr. DAN ERICKSON
We had just gotten up from a wonderful meal with my kids and grandkids when I asked my oldest granddaughter if she would help me clean up. She smiled at me and politely said, "No thank you Papa but thank you for asking."
I have thought about her response over the years. And, by the way, she was just kidding. That is in many ways how we respond to our heavenly Father when he asks us to help clean up the messes we and others make. Take a good look at our nation, our world and our lives. There are lots of messes out there.
God is asking his kids to help clean it up, but we are impolitely responding, "No thank you God, but thank you for asking."
Christianity is much like a football game. There are 22 men on the field who desperately need rest and 60,000 Christians in the stands who desperately need the exercise. I have written previously that Christians are much like manure: When you spread them out they can do great good, but when you keep them piled up in our churches they stink.
At this time of year, I watch a lot of college football. I am driven to ask myself, “Am I a player in the Christian game or am I a spectator sitting in the bleachers, on the sidelines?” I would hate to stand before almighty God and have to him ask why I played it safe in life instead getting into his game.
In Matthew 25:31, Jesus describes the end of time when all true Christians, the players, will be separated from the false, the spectators (the sheep from the goats). He will say to those who are righteous and true, "Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."
As hard as it sounds, Christ then goes into great detail to describe the physical evidences of one who is a true Christian, a player. "I (Christ) was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; thirsty and you gave Me clean water; homeless and you gave Me shelter; naked and you clothed Me; sick and you cared for Me; and when I was in My prison you did not leave me alone."
The obvious question is, "When did we do these for Christ?" We do them when we stop being a spectator and enter into his game. Think about this new year and consider how you might play your part in the game of eternal life. It may mean all the difference for you and others for now and for eternity. Imagine the possibilities!
