I am sure many of you have watched “The Lifehouse Skit”, and if you haven’t, it may be a good idea to go and watch it now!
It basically shows what some may call ‘the salvation story’. It begins with the young girl and God being in perfect harmony with each other. It shows the girl is satisfied, at peace and happy with being with God and having everything she needs. However, people begin tempting her with a variety of things, including alcohol, vanity, addiction and so on. The girl falls for these things and begins to try and enjoy the things of the world.
It is clear at this point that the girl has walked away from God. God is still standing there, he has not moved or changed the entire time.
Here I am reminded of one of my favourite verses “Do not be transformed by the world but by the renewing of your mind” [Romans 12:2]. It has become my favourite because I have to remember it so often! It is so easy to be distracted and choose the world without even realising. Yet, we have to look to Jesus and all he has taught us and allow our mind to be of him.
Eventually in the skit the young girl gets to a point where she cannot take anymore but just as she gets to breaking point, she sees God and she runs to him. It is now a battle to get past all of the worldly things that brought her down but God stands in her place and holds them all back to give her freedom and relationship with him once again. This is the love of God.
I always saw this as the story of salvation and how a person may come to know God. It is a great video to show non-Christian friends (in the right environment) as it really highlights what God has done for us as Christians. It makes me cry every time I watch it and I am not even a crier!
However, I was with my youth group last week and we watched this together and God totally changed my perspective of what this is about. I do believe it is still a great display of salvation, yet God opened my eyes to it being about everyday life for almost all teenagers.
The decision to choose boys, to choose yourself, to choose alcohol or to choose anything other than God is out there to challenge you several times each day. These challenges attempt to pull you to the left and to the right and eventually down. But there is good news, the option to choose God is always there. God is asking you to choose him and to choose him every day.
It can be a challenge because sometimes our heart yearns for something else, but we must know God is the only way. Choosing other things may feel good, as some say “sin tastes good”, but it will never sustain us and eventually becomes painful. Make a conscious decision today that you will choose God and what he wants. Be strong and stand firm against the things of this world. Stand strong against peer pressure and stand strong against the culture. Never forget who you follow.
Choose God every day, it can be a struggle but as a daughter of the King I can say,
“Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere” – Psalm 84:10.
