There is something about these movies or shows about superheroes that draws me in…….and each hero has a story:

One is bitten by a spider.

Another is struck by lightning.

Still another is an alien from another planet.

They are time travelers.

They are protectors of the weak human race…….

And the villains have great stories too.

 

I have often wondered what draws me into all of these….because what is drawing me in seems to be drawing others in too.

 

I think that all of us, when it comes down to it, know that we are vulnerable and broken and in need of help…..that we, as people, might not be able to overcome or defeat the things that come to break us……and that we are waiting for something or someone to come and rescue us or aid us in our battle.  And the idea that they can somehow sprint around the world in 5 seconds or swing from a building or fly somehow attracts us.

 

Several stories in the Bible have this “idea” connected to them.  

David defeats a giant.

Lot is aided by angels to flee Sodom.

Gideon leads an army into Jericho.

In all of these—-the people are in desperate need of a miracle—or a helping hand—and the Lord is there to provide just that.

And for for every story of a miraculous victory in a battle, there is yet another that is God simply coming and saving His people from being squashed like bugs due to their circumstances.

Esther rescues the Jews from execution.

Joseph goes from prison to royalty.

Daniel survives a night with hungry lions.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are able to survive the blazing furnace.

 

Some might even argue that these stories are no different than the ones that Marvel or DC have generated to capture our attention….but I would point your eyes to just the opposite.  WE ARE DRAWN to these comics because He has put it on our hearts to be drawn to things that resemble our nature, our history, and our creator.

 

Our reality is that we have generated these stories because the Lord has put the gospel on our hearts ….. And whether we come to accept it or not—-it is inside of us.

 

So my question for you today is:

What Is Your Story?  Because, ultimately, that is the only one that will matter…..and I can assure you—-it is the only one that matters to God.

 

Don’t get me wrong—He loves everybody.  But never forget—He wrote this Bible SPECIFICALLY for you.  He came for you.  He died for you.  And He rose again for you.

 

And I can tell you from personal testimony that:

He Shows Up…Because He wrote this story for me too.

  • He showed up outside of a locker room in 1987 and put a courage and love in me that I could not come to on my own will.
  • He showed up when I asked Him to come and show me what to do in my relationships to make them ….. Right ….. And soon after that—after I had submitted to Him through a period of testing—I met Angie.
  • He showed up when I lost my house and was over a million dollars in debt and rescued me from financial ruin.
  • He showed up and gave me my only sanity when I was literally going insane in 2002.
  • When I asked Him to bring me a man of another race to follow a mandate from Promise Keepers in 1996—He did that.
  • And in February of 2010, when my dad died, He showed up then too…..showing me a glimpse of my dad as he looked into the heavens on the day he died AND showing me later in worship that He had my dad in heaven.

 

Again and again……He Shows Up.  And He Shows Up AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME.

 

Do you need Him to show up?

 

Galatians 6  7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

 

I do read this verse as a warning….it is a loud and clear message to each of us that we can sometimes “sell Him short”….that we underestimate His power and forsake Him—and that we try to sow in the flesh.

 

But I would encourage you today to also read this verse from the positive perspective and:  SOW IN THE SPIRIT.

 

Because our reality is this:

Satan is a villain.

Jesus is a superhero the likes of which the world has never seen (even in the comics).

Our battle, according to Ephesians 6, is NOT AGAINST PEOPLE.

If we build our lives around eternity we will begin to see what God has in mind—not just for later—but for now.

 

So I would discourage you from testing God in the flesh…..

But when you “test” Him in the Spirit by sowing in the Spirit…..He shows up, and shows up big, 100% of the time.

 

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

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Coach J