“How many of you boys and girls like to play sports?” Will asked the Sunday school children. Most of them quickly raised their hands. “That’s good,” said Will. “Then I need some help. Will someone help me?”
Again many of the children raised their hands. Will chose the smallest of the boys. “Come up here, Cole,” said Will, who is a big, tall man. Four-year-old Cole, looking very sober, made his way to the front of the room. Will picked him up and tucked him under his arm. Cole looked very small tucked under Will’s arm, but then he set him down and asked the children another question.
“Let’s suppose we were going to play a game of tackle football. Whose team would you like to be on, mine or Cole’s?”
The children laughed. Of course they would like to be on Will’s team. Cole didn’t mind, because he got a prize for being a good helper.
Will read a verse in Hebrews 2:10 about Jesus being the Captain of our salvation if we trust in Him. Then he asked, “If the Lord Jesus is one captain, who’s the captain of the other team?”
“Satan,” one of the boys answered.
“And whose team is going to win?”
All the children were sure that the Lord Jesus’ team would win. And that’s right. Hebrews 2:9 says, “We see Jesus ... crowned with glory and honor,” and Revelation 20:10 says, “The devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire.” We know for sure from God’s Word the Bible who will be the winner. So whose team do you want to be on?
When we were born, each one of us was already on Satan’s team, because we were born sinners. We have to make a choice to be on Jesus’ team. You can’t be on two teams at the same time! Matthew 6:24 tells us, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.”
Satan is the great deceiver. He wants you to think that if you stay on his team you will be happy and be a winner. But God tells us that the devil, Satan, “was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him” (John 8:44).
Be sure you are on the Lord Jesus’ team. If you will tell Him that you know you are a sinner and want Him to wash away your sins, He will gladly do that for you and take you on His team. Will you let Him be your Captain and be on the winning team?
ML-01/18/2009