The Game of Life

I had the privilege this past weekend to share again the message "The Game of Life" at the RECHARGE Snow Camp weekend retreat here at WOLBI. It was very exciting to hear of at least 3 teens who were counseled to trust Christ as their Saviour after the message on Friday evening.

Using the metaphor of a game we compared various types of games with eternal realities of 'Real Life.'

From Jon in Real Life

The truth is:
Every Game has a Creator
     Every board game, sport or video game has a creator who has every right to create the rules of their game.

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Genesis 1:1

Every Game has Rules
     Every game must have rules to provide structure, enjoyment, and purpose.
     The Game of Life has rules, a universal standard of things that are right and things that are wrong.
     These 'rules' are true whether we believe them or not.
     We considered the Ten Commandments as basic rules for a successful life. However, just like penalties in sports, there are consequences for breaking those rules.

"For the wages of sin is death..." Romans 6:23a

"...And sin, when it is finished, brings forth death." James 1:15b

Every Game has an End
     There needs to be a point, purpose, and goal to every game and Real Life is no different.

"It is appointed unto man once to die and then the judgment." Hebrews 9:27

     The way to win the game of life is to simply play it perfectly according to the rules for your whole life!

"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." James 2:10

From Jon in Real Life

Little rope dude illustrating James 2:10

     The reality is impossible - we sin and bluntly put - we stink at the game of life. We just cannot consistently play by God's rules in our actions, our words, or our thoughts - we are losers at the Game of Life.

    That is not the end of the story though. Just like the ultimate cheat code in video games, we can hand over our lives to One who played the Game of Life perfectly for us!

"For He (God the Father) has made Him (Jesus, God the Son) to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:21

Jesus has won the game of life, by living a perfect life and dying the death He did not deserve. He offers His perfection to us, for our account so that we may stand before God with a perfect record on Judgment Day. 

Have you accepted His life for yours? Will you today?

Please let me know if you have questions or would like to know more about how you can know you too can win the 'Game of Life.'

Related Posts:

A Spiritual Lesson from American Idol - Truth
A Spiritual Lesson from American Idol - Believe it or Not

Be There For Youth - There's Still Hope!

It seems there is still hope to impact the next generation. We may not 'lose' our kids to the scary monster often referred to as "The Media."

From Jon in Real Life

The Barna Group, "a leading research organization focused on the intersection of faith and culture" [1], relates a study that suggests family members, friends and those closest to kids are the heroes of this generation. Check out the article - Teen Role Models: Who They Are, Why They Matter.



While there is no doubt Pop Icons have influence, it seems that youth are more interested in those who show interest in them. We shouldn't be scared by the apparent culture gap between us and the young people around us. We just need to care in verbal, active ways.

Ask yourself, "Who can I care about today and how can I show it?"

You never know, it may make a difference for eternity.

For more information and resources for youth ministry check out Word of Life Local Church Ministry and click on the TeacherSource banner.