For the Win! (25-Pack)

Do you love cheering for a favorite team? Whether it's volleyball, soccer, baseball, football, or hockey, isn't it exciting to watch them play? You feel such a close connection to the players. When they win, you celebrate with them. "We won! We won!" We. It's almost like you're part of the team. But what if they asked you to put on a uniform and play in their next game? That'd be fun! But it'd also be pretty scary, right? If you stop and think, you might wonder, "Could I even play at that level? I'm not good enough." At this point, you might be happier to watch skilled athletes play instead of trying to fake it. But if you feel that way about one tiny part of life--playing on your favorite team--what about all the rest of life? How are you doing at "the game of life"? If you're alive, you're already a member of the great human race. Of course, you've got almost eight billion teammates, but God has put you on planet Earth for a reason. He's got a game plan for humans, and he's told us the rules for winning. You might wonder, "What are those rules? How do I win? And am I really good enough?" At this point, you might wonder if there was a way for someone else, someone really skilled at living, to take your place. "Could someone play the game of life for me?" It'd be nice, but does someone like that even exist? The most amazing news is that he does. God knew that no one on earth could ever really live life according to his rules and win. So he sent his own Son, Jesus Christ, to join the human team. Jesus actually became a real person and always obeyed every rule. And he always succeeded at "the game of life." He won. But at the end, it looked like he had lost. Jesus died an awful death, the kind reserved for the worst sort of criminals. Why did God let this happen? Jesus took one for the team. He died, not because he had lost, and not because he had broken the rules or lived so badly. He died to pay the penalty that rule breakers should have paid. Because of this sacrifice, the Father raised Jesus from the dead. And it was like Jesus went from the bottom of the standings to the top of the podium. He hadn't lost; he had won! Jesus Christ was the best member of the human team ever. And when you see his victory, you can say, "We won!" We. But there's only one way to be part of Jesus's team. You can't pretend that you're actually good enough to win without him. So that gives you just two options: you can either try to do it all yourself, or you can instead rely on Jesus to win "the game of life" for you. And if you're honest with yourself, we all know that none of us is good enough. When you turn away from trying to be good enough, that's what the Bible calls "repenting." And when, instead, you set all your hopes on Jesus--on how good he is, and that he paid your penalty for you--that's what the Bible calls "trusting." So here are the questions you have to answer for yourself: Have I repented from my rule breaking and from my faith in my own rule keeping? Am I trusting Jesus for both, in my place? Being part of Jesus's team is letting him play for you, to win for you. When you look at all he did, you can say, "We won! We won!" Are you part of that "We"? If you're ready to receive Jesus as your perfect substitute and sufficient savior, you can start following him today, beginning by praying something like this: Dear Jesus, I believe you are who you say you are. I believe that you won the game of life by doing everything I should do, and that you also died the death I deserve to die. I believe that you rose again, defeating sin and death for me. I now trust you to win eternal life for me. Please be my Lord and Savior. Please guide me to a church that believes the Bible and will help me follow you. In Jesus's name I pray, amen.

About the Author :
Champ Thornton (PhD, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the director of children and family resources at Crossway and the author of numerous books for kids and families. He and his wife, Robben, live in Newark, Delaware, and have three children. You can learn more about Champ at champthornton.com.