Dev4GamersDevotions for Real People, for Real Gamers!

Taken from our archives, a mid week music program from March 1, 2006.

Enjoy.

“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.”- Isaiah 53:3-4 (NIV)

Music:

You Did Not Have a Home - Rich Mullins

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”-Romans 6:23 (NIV)

I have been playing some old first person shooters lately along with my mmo’s. A pattern I got into when I used to play these games all the time was doing a quick save just before a hard section or boss fight. I learned to do this after countless hours trying to get something done and failing. I would turn a corner to soon and wamo, time to start over.

You see, in a game, the AI of the bad guys will not give you an inch. If you step to far to one side or the other you are toast. Well, in life, if we see that we are already toast. We have already stepped to far to the wrong side. The result is death. Not just an, oh well, I think I will start over type of death. No, this is death, eternal separation from God type stuff here. The finish, the end, roll the credits.

The only way to get pat this level is to . . take the gift that the programmer put into it. Save the game. Well, the analogy breaks down a bit at this part, mainly because you can not repeat this over and over and over if you fail. But here is the truth, here is the good news.

Jesus died to give us all a second chance, second life if you will. He offers us this freely. If you want to get to the next level, if you want to win, then take His offer. Hit the save button, ask Him to be your savior.

Music:
Amazing Grace - Jars of Clay

Mark 10:28 (New International Version)
Peter said to him, “We have left everything to follow you!”

In 1993 Tanya and I were blessed to meet Samantha Siegel, a summer missionary that had come all the way from Kentucky to California. She spent the summer out here doing Vacation Bible School, Back Yard Bible Club’s and just about anything else our association could think at throw at her. The three of us became fast friends in the two to three weeks of the summer that we had Sam in our lives.

The day she left I somewhat joked to her about having that school she went to send me some information. She went to a small Christian College in the mountains of South Eastern Kentucky. This college was made up mostly of students over the age of 25 to 35 with families.

At this point of our lives we had given ourselves to the Lord to serve Him. We knew that He wanted us in ministry, but Bethany had come along, we were working to make a living, and school was out of the question. So we thought.

Not two weeks after saying those words to Sam had a small package of literature show up in our mailbox. She had them send out a package right away. At first I was like WHAT? We started reading the material, ended up at Round Table Pizza in a booth with a list of pros and cons, then realized that God was moving.

Three weeks later we where in a moving van on our way to Kentucky, sight unseen. Over 3000 miles the three of us drove. We gave left everything behind, for the most part, and started the adventure that has brought us to the point we are at now.

God has blessed us in so many ways. Even while in a state of not knowing what is next and really relying on him for day to day living have we begun to live.

Is God calling you to leave something behind to follow Him? I am not talking about selling all your possessions and moving into a commune, I am referring to your life, your way of doing things, your wants. Turn them over to him, follow him, and the next verse will become clear.

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,”- 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)

Don’t use words too big for the subject. Don’t say “infinitely” when you mean “very”; otherwise you’ll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.
C. S. Lewis

Keep it Simple Stupid

I know we covered a verse similar to this recently, but hey, its God’s Word and He has a way of getting His point across.

Here it is in a simple nutshell.

We have hope, that hope is in Christ that we will see heaven when we die. How do we get this hope? By trusting in Christ as our Lord. I wish I could use a snappyillustration that would help you understand this fully, but that would just muddy the waters more. You hope your car will get you to your destination, you hope that the chair you sit in today will hold you up, you hope.

As always we need to be ready to tell someone who asks why we have this hope in Jesus. You whip out your long essay on how God saved you from the fiery pit of despair and damnation only to see the person you are talking with lose interest and consider you a nut.

Don’t unleash a 30 minute exposition on grace, faith and hope on them, just tell them the plain truth. Save those big words for when you really need it.

Be gentle and use respect. Not everyone will listen to you, and that’s ok. Keep Christ in your heart and doing what He has asked.

No one wants a 50 pound Bible to hit them in the head.

MUSIC:
Inara’s Suite - Firefly Soundtrack

We all need a litle fun and crazyness.  Back in April of 2006 was just one of those moments.

Please enjoy this old epesode of Dev4Gamers.

(NOTE)

GMPodcasting and Gaming Ministries no longer have a web pressence.  Just in case you where wondering

Enjoy this. . . fun, backwards, and out of order show.

Joshua 1:9 (NIV)
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Music
Frail -  Jars of Clay

Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

God thing here! No, not me, well He has saved me and all, but no, the verse. I don’t want to surprise to many, but the verses I choose for the devotion are not always thought up ahead of time. As a matter of fact if you head to Bible Gateway.com you just might see where I get my verses. So . . today is Isaiah 55:8-9.

Amazing. Why? Because today I am editing a movie I shot in Lord of the Rings Online last night to post on my old and just revived LotRO Blog, Under the Banner. I am going over the mechanics of a new quest tracking system that will come out with the next free content release, book 7.

Ok. . I can tell I am boring you. Here is what is so awesome about this. Many will whine and complain that the developers are making an easy mode. Instead of having to read very carefully and search for hours a new player can simply look on the map for a quest objective. It will point you in the general direction. GENERAL DIRECTION.

Hmm. Ok. . So, when God does something in our life, or does something that we don’t get, do you think that He might be pointing you in some direction?

Here is the best part, hold on, cause this is so cool. On the LotRO forums some QQers are complaning that the developers have no clue how to run a game. REALLY? It is true that sometimes dev’s can be shortsighted, but I know from experience that the group working on LotRO have made some very controversial decisions in the past, that have only shown to be the right ones down the line.

How many times to we QQ at God for what He is doing in our lives? How many times do we wish He was listening, when what really happens is we stop paying attention, He is always listening to us, even when we complain.

So if you are having a bad day, week, year, or life, just remember that God’s ways and thoughts are not our ways and thoughts. Even though we might not get it, or understand it, or want it the way it is now, He knows best, and the outcome, in the end, is ALWAYS right!

2 Timothy 4:1-2 (HCSB)
1 Before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom, I solemnly charge you: 2 proclaim the message; persist in it whether convenient or not; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching.

Rebuke, Correct, and Encourage with great patience and teaching.

Don’t you just love being yelled at? I was having a conversation with a new guild mate that just joined the guild I play in Lord of the Rings Online. One of the things we both agreed upon is that being in a group with an over zealous leader that thinks the only way to get people to do things is to yell is not fun. But here the second part of this passage instructs us to rebuke!

I know many who have used this verse as justification for brow beating someone. But look. . .Read on. Check out the rest of the passage. Correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching.

We are to present the message of hope with great patience. Rebuking is just one part of this passage, and not what we think. Instead of seeing it as a complete negative I am right you are wrong thing, we need to see it as a gentle correction.

Example, A ship sets course to reach its intended destination. As the ship crosses the seas waves and winds will push on it slightly taking it off course. If the pilot does not make small, or even large adjustments at times the ship will be way off course and never reach its destination. When we use the Bible to help others, its often and small correction to course that will help us along our life’s journey. We encourage them. We help them.

As we start out this week, let us keep in mind that we are to have patience when we walk our life and try to tell others about our faith.

Matthew 22:37-39 (NIV)
“Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”

When starting a new group, or heading into a new place to adventure in game with friends I tell them about the 3 rules I have.

1. The first rule is to have fun. What is the point of playing a game that you do for enjoyment if you don’t. . well. . enjoy it.
2. Pay attention to your team mates.
3. Have fun.

Ok, so its more like two rules. So sue me. The point is I want you to have fun. If you pay attention to what your friends are doing, and react accordingly, you will more than likely have a good time. Of course there are always times when things can go really wrong that lead to endless spurts of laughter.

Like the time in WoW I was marking mobs for a tricky pull. Tanya was tanking on her paladin, I was on my mage, read glass cannon. I started to mark them when I reached for my number 1 above my keyboard instead of the number one on my numerical keypad. Well, number 1 on my keyboard was for my blink ability which in essence makes me jump several yards forward. So instead of being all sneaky and marking the bad guys for kill order I ended up introducing myself face to face with some rather large Naga, which promptly pounded my cloth wearing self into the ground, then went after the group. No one minded the wipe, we where all to busy laughing our rears off.

But the point is have fun and work with people.

So when they asked Jesus what where his rules he summed it up perfectly. Love God and love others.

It is not enough to just love God. You might think the most of Him, you might try to do all you can for him, but if you do not love others, if you do not show them the love that Christ showed us then . . well. . what is the point? Unfortunately doing an accidental face pull with someones life is not as funny as it is in a game where no one really gets hurt. Its for eternity.

Love God with all your heart soul and mind, and love others as you do yourself.

Music

I’m Sorry - Flyleaf
Grey - Barlowgirl