1 Life Remaining.....

Okay, so who has ever played The Sims?

I have. In fact, I used to love that game.

For those of you who are totally un-cultured, The Sims is a simulation game (hence "sims") where the player controls an individual and family throughout their lives; building houses, buying furniture, going to work, meeting and socialising, using the toilet, sleeping, making dinner etc etc etc (you get the general gist)

The original game- bought out in 2000- is the best-selling PC game of all time. The Sims 2- its sequel arriving in 2004- is number 2. The Sims 3- a more recent version- is also near the top of the list.

The world loves The Sims.

It is a PC game which can eat away hours upon hours upon hours. But what is the aim of the game? What is it all for?

Hmmmmmm.

Have you, like me, reached the point (countless times!) where you realise that your sim- although physically designed to your own standards of attractiveness, although rich beyond your wildest dream, although sporting over 20 "Friends" and 100 "Acquaintances" (Which in Sim terms is pretty amazing!) and although living the 'American Dream' with a huge house and great job- actually has no purpose whatsoever?

After spending hours building up your sim's social life, work and investments, you discover that actually there is nothing left to aim for. Even if the sim was a real human being his life would still have no point or purpose. It is all futile.

Ultimately there are no objectives, no secondary objectives, no missions to complete, no leader boards to reach.

Hmmmmmmm.

However, it would seem that millions upon millions, countless peoples live in a virtual 'Sim world'. They try to build up their homes, they beautify their faces, they stack up their 'simoleons' (sim money!) and work their way up the corporate ladder.

They are totally 100% engrossed in a game. Except this game is real.

But why?

Will a dream home really satisfy us or are we made
for something better?

In The Sims there is no mission to be completed, no 'level-up' to reach, no 'checkpoint' or 'save game here'. Is it true that in real life as well there is no Final Score? No Scoreboard to climb?

By default we are all living in our own sim worlds.

Conversely the Lord God- who lives outside of time and, so to speak, outside of the game- entered the game. He became 'sim' and walked onto our PC screens.

Perhaps I am taking this metaphor too far, and I don't want to sound irreverent, but God truly did something as astounding as this. He loves us so much that he came into this world to transform us and to give us a purpose.

He gave his life so that we can have his. The Bible says that whoever keeps his life will lose it but whoever loses his life will gain it. Sound confusing?

Well, Jesus is asking you this: Why hang on to your boring, pointless 'sim life' when you can have life everlasting in him?

Are we living simply to keep our
diamonds green and happy?
Or is there a greater purpose?

None of us deserve eternal life. In fact, we all deserve punishment and eternal death for what we have done. We have rebelled against God- rather than taking the life he offers us we have turned up our noses and decided that we can do better on our own. We have rejected God's plan and design and have constructed our own 'sim city' (otherwise known as 'sin city').

Through Jeremiah, God put it like this:

for my people have committed two evils:

they have forsaken me,

the fountain of living waters,

and hewed out cisterns for themselves,

broken cisterns that can hold no water.

We deserve God's punishment for our rebellion. But God, loving us so so much, sent his son to die for us. Jesus Christ bore the punishment that we rightly deserve. He died so that we might live. If  we confess our sin- our rejection and rebellion against God- and ask his forgiveness then he will forgive us and give us true life: a life worth living!!

So, are you going to give up your pointless, unsatisfying and pixelated "life" and receive true God-given life or are you going to continue playing the game?

Spoiler Alert: Life without God is not life at all. It gets boring and repetitive and dull. Its tough: there's no easy mode to play.

And, crucially..... there are no cheats in real life!

PAID- Payment in Full

"You be quiet or I'll stamp your forehead with this "PAID" stamp!"

  Those were the harsh words I was cruelly subjected to a few weeks ago!

  To be fair, I probably deserved it.

  When I see my name next to the "Office" section in our work rosta I let out a small chuckle. I tend to cause a bit of chaos when let lose amongst our office staff. My humour, comments and little anecdotes tend to get one of two reactions.

   This was the worser of the two.

"You be quiet or I'll stamp your forehead with this "PAID" stamp!"

                                        (I think they were joking!)


    At first I was taken aback. I didn't want a massive red "PAID" insignia on my forehead! I like my forehead as it is, thank you very much!

    And what on earth would people think! Would they think that I was a slave? Or maybe I had owed money to a bailiff? Perhaps it was punishment for a crime- like the 'P' mark for Pirates. (Actually I wouldn't really mind if they thought I was a pirate!)

   But then, as the office atmosphere started to cool down, I pondered more. Perhaps I should have a paid mark on my forehead. After all, its true....

   To borrow some words from a popular Christian song: I owed a debt I could not pay, he paid a debt he did not owe, I needed someone to wash my sins away.

   Check my records. Please do. According to scripture:

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?... Who can bring any charge against God's elect?

   My debt is paid. My records are clean. My ransom, my debts, my sins: they are all paid for! In letters ten feet high: PAID!

   The King of Glory descended to earth and lived as a man. He suffered and died, being separated from His Eternal Father.  He did all of this to pay the price for my sins. My clean slate was achieved through the shedding of God's blood. Truly my paid stamp is stained red.

   Perhaps I should walk around stamped "PAID". Because my debts are gone. They have been paid. My slavery is over. The ransom is paid. I am truly free from sin, through Christ. And I should want to tell others. How can I but proclaim and declare what a great God I have?

   Yes, Lord, stamp me PAID

The Greatest Story

   I just heard these lyrics over a speaker system:

Everybody wants love, Thats why you are in this club.

   Hmmm. I had been under the impression that I was in a Brantano store and that I'd been trying to buy some shoes. Apparently I was wrong.

   Isn't it true though? Everybody is searching out for something.

   U2 searched long and hard and had this to say:

I have climbed highest mountains, I have run through the fields...I have scaled these city walls..... but I still haven't found what I'm looking for.

   Love seems like a worthy candidate of the great human hunt. Love must fulfil us and fill that gaping hole....surely?

  In many of its films Disney tells of a beautiful princess, locked away, who is freed by the brave and mighty acts of a handsome prince. They fall in love- naturally- and marry. They then reign over a kingdom and it all ends happily ever after.

  20 years ago, that was the dream. That was what the human race was seeking for: a happy ever after with a beautiful/handsome princess/prince [delete as appropriate].

  But Disney, faced with a downspiralling demand, has stopped producing fairytale stories. Divorces are higher than ever. Families are split. The human race has given up on love.

   As Christians, we have found what we were looking for. And yes, it is love. The love of Jesus for sinners like you and I. He died so that we can live. He is the Prince and the Church is His Bride. We are part of the greatest love story ever told.

   We have the answer to life. We have life itself. Lets not keep it to ourselves. Lets proclaim the good news! Freedom from the dungeon! Release from our captors! And a great Prince!

How's my driving?

   Driving towards Milton Keynes last Saturday I saw a sign similar to the one above. My mind, not distracted by music or chatter, was free to muse upon the implications of such a sign.

   What does it mean? 

   Is it telling me that speed cameras exist? Because I already am fully aware of the existence of speed cameras.  (What road user isn't?!) I have read the articles, seen the stats, heard the arguments. I know that they exist alright.

   So, if it isn't purely informing me of the existence of said cameras then what is its purpose?

   Is it showing me what I could expect a camera to look like? Is the "Speed Cameras" meant as a caption for the above image. Well if it that is the case then Buckinghamshire Council have utterly failed. I have never seen a speed camera that looks remotely like the one in the picture. They could have at least used colour!

   Maybe its meant as modern art?

   If its purpose is to inform me of a speed camera[s] in the area then it is lying. I have travelled along that particular road many-a-time and have yet to see a camera (or the flash!).

   Hmmm. Then maybe it is suggesting that there is a theoretical possibility that a speed camera may or may not be present and that I should either (a) drive at a precautionary slow speed or (b) play the percentages and gamble that either there is no camera on the road or that, if there is, it has no film.

   Is that how I view God?

   Yes, I know he exists: I've seen the signs. I know that he has an absolute standard (and there is no 10% leeway with the Almighty.). I know that he has me on record. I know that he has the authority to convict. I know that I fall under his jurisdiction....

....But he might not be around this particular corner. I haven't bumped into him yet. Maybe, if it gets that far, I can plead exonerating circumstances. Anyway, its only 3 points and its only for 2 years- I have 9 more to play with.

   Surely God doesn't mind me living a few miles over the limit? Surely I can push the boundaries 1 mph at a time? He won't nab me at 38 in a 40. He won't nab me at 39 in a 40. He won't nab me at 40 in a 40. He won't nab me at 41 in a 40...... will he?

   Are you driving towards God? Or are you taking the by-pass around Him? 

   You can't run from God..... ask Jonah.

He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.