Remember playing Simon Says..??

     There are all kinds of games we played when we were growing up. We would play the usual sports games of basketball, football, baseball, and softball. We would also play games like follow the leader and tag. We would get our jars out and see who could catch the most lightning bugs. The game I want to spend our time talking about is Simon Says. You remember that you would do or say whatever Simon said if the person told to do something without saying Simon Says and you did it, you were out of the game. The last one standing would win the game.
     Far more important is the reality of Jesus Says.... For so long, we have taken God's word as something to be memorized or internalized. God's Word should be memorized, but if you memorize just for the sake of just that, we miss the point. God's Word should move us into action.
     What if we did everything else in this world like we do God's Word? As an example, tell your child, "go and clean up your room". What would your reaction be if they came back to you in about an hour or two and said hey, I memorized what you told me. You said, "go and clean your room". I am sure it would not be pleasant. What if they told you, I studied it real hard and I can even tell you what it means in Greek. Your child looks at you and says, "I am even going to have some of my friends come over and study about what you said and we are going to talk about what the room would like if it was clean". Yea, I know the blood would be boiling if that happened.
     How do you think God feels? He has told us to take the gospel into the world but we don't. We stand around with our hands in our pockets offering up excuses why we don't. They range from "I have a hard time talking to people" to " that's what we pay the preacher for". Both of which I have really heard with my own two ears. There is no excuse that is justified or excusable. We try to make it right in our own heads. Jesus told us to go into the whole world. If we wouldn't won't our kids to talk to us and treat us that way, why do we do it to God? We live by a double-standard.
     When Jesus left and ascended, He said He would send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit comes, we are to be witnesses of these things. The Holy Spirit is here. He knew that sometimes the situation would be uncomfortable to some. This is why the Holy Spirit is called the Comforter. We would not need Him if it was not uncomfortable. Let's do what God has told us to do in the power of the Holy Spirit. It will be amazing what we could accomplish. We would reap the benefits of making our Father happy.

I am John Sowders and I have been to The Well..!!!