A Playground Analogy
Being Christians, we should always attempt to draw ourselves closer to God, and we should offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him (Romans 12:1).
Leading a Christian life is like children being led into a playground by their father. The father tells his children that they are allowed to play within the perimeters of the playground and are not to go elsewhere. Then he goes away and leave his children to play at their leisure, but he has told the children that he will come back to pick them up later in the day.
The father has not set down a concrete perimeter that they are to play within. A majority of the children have problems with the confined space. However there are some who challenge the area that they are confined to and begins to expand the perimeters of the playground outwards. And there are others who gets lured by the lollypop man and starts to leave the playground.
Being a good Christian, we listen to God's word and we try to lead our lives "within the confined space in the playground". Then there are Christians who "challenge where the boundary of the playground is" and tries to bend the rules set out in the bible. Finally, the weaker Christians who cannot pass the test of temptation gets lured away by Satan.
Be content, and don't run out of the ring! Be strong and don't let your fellow Brothers and Sisters leave either! Bring the lost ones back!
Leading a Christian life is like children being led into a playground by their father. The father tells his children that they are allowed to play within the perimeters of the playground and are not to go elsewhere. Then he goes away and leave his children to play at their leisure, but he has told the children that he will come back to pick them up later in the day.
The father has not set down a concrete perimeter that they are to play within. A majority of the children have problems with the confined space. However there are some who challenge the area that they are confined to and begins to expand the perimeters of the playground outwards. And there are others who gets lured by the lollypop man and starts to leave the playground.
Being a good Christian, we listen to God's word and we try to lead our lives "within the confined space in the playground". Then there are Christians who "challenge where the boundary of the playground is" and tries to bend the rules set out in the bible. Finally, the weaker Christians who cannot pass the test of temptation gets lured away by Satan.
Be content, and don't run out of the ring! Be strong and don't let your fellow Brothers and Sisters leave either! Bring the lost ones back!
You do not need to go out the ring to bring them back. It is like shouting out to them within the playground, hoping they would come back. The further they are from the ring, your shout will become less and less significant. The further one distant himself/herself from God's way of life, the harder it becomes to call them back.
Of course, this is not saying it becomes impossible to call them back. Fear and other punishments outside the playground will be ways of repentance, pulling them back (Luke 13:1-5).
Posted by
Ivan |
9:41 am, September 12, 2004
Even though in real life you are physically next to them, but if they are Spiritually further and further away from God, however physically close you get will be harder to reach and grab them back, just like the further they run away from the ring, the harder for you to call them back!
I mean in real life, we don't need to give up our relationship with God to bring someone else back to God, right?
Posted by
Ivan |
1:20 am, September 14, 2004
I guess that is like when you yourself get tested with temptations when you run out of the ring (hoping you would remember to return?)
Interesting point though! :)
Posted by
Ivan |
8:39 am, September 14, 2004