Behind Enemy Lines

If you're reading this story today and wondering why I'm not offering something related to Thanksgiving, I assure you I haven't forgotten today is Thanksgiving.  Today's message couldn't be superseded by anything else in my humble opinion.  After all, most of us in this country will have more than enough to eat today and there will be an abundance of football on TV to occupy our time.  I'm sharing this story from behind enemy lines, the enemy who wants to distract us from the real meaning of our existence on this planet.

If you're spending your day today watching football, I'm not knocking you.  You work hard and now you want to enjoy a day off with your family.  I do want to use sports as a way of exposing the enemy.  You have your favorite team, right?  You cheer for this team all season with the hope of seeing this team go all the way to the Super Bowl, the World Series, or whatever championship event you have in your sport.  You have all the apparel showing others what team you support.  All the other teams in your eyes are inferior. You may even despise those who support your team's nemesis.

Imagine you play for God's team and you are Jewish.  The whole world hates you.  Six million of your ancestors were annihilated because of your team.  You didn't get to choose your jersey, it was chosen by your enemy to let the world know what team you represent.  This is all the work of the enemy who wants you off the planet.  Why?  Because you represent God's team and God's Quarterback is about to come back into the game when the clock is set to expire and you're losing, just as you have for about 4,000 years when the whole world persecuted you.

I have seen this enemy up close and personal.  This enemy somehow invaded my very soul at a young age when I felt about as hopeless as those who belong to God's team.  They had the best quarterback of all times and they didn't even recognize him.  Why?  Maybe they felt threatened.  Maybe God himself made a decision to blind his own team to this quarterback so that room could be made for "the others."  Who are "the others?"  You and me, the Gentiles as we are called by our Jewish brothers.  

The enemy has access to God's playbook.  The enemy knows who wins and chooses to stay in the game even though victory is impossible.  We are in the fight of our lives.  My hope for you today on this Thanksgiving Day is that you can see through the enemy lines and recognize that our Father is getting ready to send his Son back to this world and save us from the Evil One.  Think about that while you're cheering for your team today.  Happy Thanksgiving.