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Are You For Real?
This devotional was written by Leslie Snyder

I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. 
John 10:10 (The Message)

In 2005 the world of video games took a cosmic leap into the future.  At the E3 Convention, NintendoTM  unveiled its newest system called the Revolution.  After twenty years in the gaming industry, Nintendo did something that no other video game creator has ever done.  They brought the video game to life and made their product a household name.  Today it’s known simply as WiiTM and playing a Wii game is like no other video game on the planet.  You see, when you play a Wii game you actually participate in the action.  So, if you’re playing Wii tennis, in order to swing the racket, you don’t just press a button, you swing the controller.  The same goes for boxing, golf, or any other sport game.  Or if you’re playing a racing game, you hold the controller like a steering wheel and actually control the movements of your car on the screen.  It’s really an amazing thing and some people actually compare the benefits of playing Wii sports with playing the real game.  There’s only one problem.  It’s not real.  Sure you hear the sound of the ball hitting the racket when your controller moves, but you’re not really playing tennis.  You’re missing the total experience if all you ever get is the Wii experience.

Our life with Christ is similar.  It’s too easy to have a virtual type of life, experiencing a sense of life that seems real, but is more like playing a video game.  In the book of John, Jesus shares a conversation with His disciples about His relationship with God the Father and His relationship with them.  Ultimately, He explains that because of His love for His people, He wants them to be free to live without fear, to live trusting in His care, and to be free to live a broader, deeper, more amazing life than they could live without Him.  I love how The Message reads that Jesus said, “I have come so they can have real and eternal life [emphasis added]…”   We’re not meant to go through this life just going through the motions, participating in life like we’re watching it from some outside perspective.  We’re designed to live life to its fullest, messiest, and most amazing point possible. This is only possible when we trust the words of Jesus and live deeply in His freedom.

And, just like Nintendo made the cosmic leap into the video gaming future, you, too can make a cosmic leap in your own life.  Dare to live freely, dream big, take some chances and trust your life to the one who gave it to you.

Going Deeper: 

1. What keeps you from living a real, full, amazing life?
2. Are you just sitting on the sidelines watching your life go by?

Further Reading:  John 10:1-10 

Leslie Snyder is a youth and family ministry veteran currently serving in the Kansas City area with her husband and three kids.

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