Paid with GOLD! Winner or Loser?

   Peter,

   John,

   James,

   Andrew,

   Philip,

   Thomas,

   Bartholomew,

   Matthew,

   James, son of Alphaeus,

   Simon the Zealot,

    Judas, son of James

“They nominated two: Joseph Barsabbas, nicknamed Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed, “You, O God, know every one of us inside and out. Make plain which of these two men you choose to take the place in this ministry and leadership that Judas threw away in order to go his own way.” They then drew straws. Matthias won and was counted in with the eleven apostles.”

Judas got the gold and died spilling his guts on the ground purchased with his gold.  The men left behind suffered hell on earth.  Who was the winner?  Who was the loser? Are you a winner or loser for the cause of Christ?

Winner or Loser?  At work you say, “Jesus is Lord and is the only way.”  You are fired for sharing Christ. 

Winner or Loser?  At your family’s Super Bowl, everyone is getting drunk and enjoying the effects of alcohol and drugs.  You are critized and called names because you choose to stay sober. 

Winner or Loser?  At lunch with your friends you bow you head and thank God for all He has blessed you with.  You are laughed at. 

Winner or Loser?  Every 60 minutes your beeper goes off.  You turn your thought to Christ.  The people around you get a chuckle out of your foolishness.

Do you get it? God makes the rules of the game. We choose whether to follow them. Judas chose. Judas paid. The desciples chose. The desciples paid.

You are in the game. God has made the rules. It’s not whether you will play the game. We all play. It is about what your choice will be.

James Harrison: Hero or Villain?

OK.  So ”Hitman” James Harrison broke a Super Bowl record for running the most yards from an interception and making a touch down.  He is a hero. 

But what about the guy that threw the interception pass? It appears James has become a hero at the expense of another man’s blunder. 

What kind of deal is that? I’m struggling to find any Biblical example of this being a good thing.  One man excels and another man is crushed.  I wonder what the rules of football would be if the Bible were the rule book?