Know that you know that you know

I’ve been volunteering at VBS this week.  I’m a game helper.  The gal running all the games is amazing at it all.  She gives the rules and instructions to the cute kiddos and then I get to just help ensure everyone is participating and following the rules.  We do the same thing 5 times with 5 different groups.  I’m pretty sure I’m the least competitive person you will ever meet.  I was always the kid in gym class that would try to continue to go to the back of the line undetected.  Even though Mr. Allgood was looking down at his clipboard, he would inevitably say “Songster, you’re up!” every 3 minutes.  

Today we broke the large group into 4 smaller groups.  I was given a team to monitor.  The goal was to have them keep a beach ball up in the air and never have it touch the ground.  This cute group of dainty little sweethearts decided to throw the ball to each other and catch it.  It was like perfect slow motion.  While the other teams were wildly playing what looked like sand volleyball mixed with dodgeball, my group of girls looked like they didn’t want to break a nail, or break a sweat for that matter.  Knowing they weren’t following the rules or the instructions given, I still cheered them on anyway as they played.  Of course when asked how many hits they had before the ball hit the ground they responded, “39.” Other groups had 5, 7, and 11.  Clearly they weren’t following the rules, and clearly i had misled them as a leader.  Maybe I was just being lazy or maybe I was enchanted by their adorable mannerisms, either way, I misled them and portrayed that they did an excellent job.  Of course we were called out for cheating and our count of 39 didn’t count in the competition.  

This experience reminded me so much of a conversation I overhead the other day.  An older woman said hello to an older man as they stood together and chit chatted.

She said, “Remember when my husband and I met you all those years ago? We had never set foot in a church before.  We had no idea what we were doing. I don’t know if we even know what we are doing now.  We weren’t Christians then and I don’t even know if we are now."

He said, “Oh yes you do.  You were before you walked in the church doors and you are now.  We are all God’s children.”

His reassurance made her smile and she gave him a little side hug and then they walked away.

That conversation has stayed in my mind since the day I overheard it.  We cannot enter God’s kingdom by the coattails of others.  Our reassurance of salvation needs to come from our taking God at his word, that we have admitted that we are sinners in need of a savior, that Jesus was that savior in the act of dying on the cross, and that we repent of our sins (running our own lives) and follow the Lord in his will for our lives.  

Those sweet little girls were given the rules before we started the game at VBS.  Likewise, we have the law written on our hearts.  I think if we are all honest we KNOW if we have confessed our sins, turned from our ways and submitted ourselves to God’s plan.  We all know if he is actively running our lives or if we are running our own.  The girls decided to play by a different set of rules or bend the rules, or create their own rules, however you wish to look at it.  And today, I was like that reassuring man, encouraging them and telling them they were doing great.  Everything seemed great for the duration of the game.  They were feeling like they were succeeding in winning the game, they were having a great time.  Then at the end of the game, our team was called out for cheating.  Our high number of 39 hits didn’t count.  Another team with 11 legitimate hits won the game.  I had misled them.  I feel like the man who reassured this woman misled her.  We cannot ride the coattails of others.  Our relationship with Christ is individual, personal and vital.  We must KNOW for ourselves.  Our assurance of salvation can only come from one place.  

 Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

Here are just a few take away points from my lengthy blog today

1. Don’t ask me to do anything athletic, or anything that has to do with competing.  It won’t go well for anyone.  LOL
2. Ask yourself if you KNOW that you KNOW that you KNOW that you are saved.
3. Don’t mislead others.  If someone comes to you saying that they are unsure where they stand with the Lord, DO NOT REASSURE THEM, only Christ can do that.  You can walk alongside them while they search their heart and inquire of the Lord but it is not YOUR place to assure someone of their salvation.  If they are uncomfortable where they are with the Lord, seize the opportunity to share the hope that they can have in Jesus.