“Play Time is Over”

“Niecy, Mama said it's time to come into the house.” When I heard that loud summons yelled out by one of my siblings as they stood at the screen door of our house at the dusk of day, I knew that my play time was over. We would play bat and ball and when the string broke on the bat and ball I would tie a knot in the elastic string and keep playing with my wooden bat and ball. My six siblings and I shared one pair of metal skates with the key to adjust the skates to all seven of our foot sizes. We would play jump rope, jacks, and I was the worlds greatest hula hopper, but when Mama said “stop playing and come into the house, then “Play time was over”.

To play is to engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose. Their are Christians who are playing in the church rather than establishing a consistent relationship with God. The sad thing about that is they have no shame in their game. To play around in sin is to play with God, like a person would play the game four square with a rubber ball bouncing back and fourth, in and out of a true relationship with God.

The term “player” is sometimes referred to a person who bounces back and fourth, in and out of the unwed bed without ever establishing a faithful relationship. In the Bible Judah gave Tamar his valuable

possessions in exchange for a one night stand and three months later both of their sins were exposed. We learn from Judah and Tamar that a person can only play with God for so long and then God will eventually expose their sin. Ananias and Sapphire lied to the Holy Ghost and played with God's money. They got played, a deadly consequence was their outcome.

I have watched some children who grow up around the church, learn how to play various roles in the church, and by choice playing church for them becomes their lifestyle. They choose to do church without Jesus and ignore the summons of Jesus' “Play time is over”.

In each developmental stage in life individuals seek out their peers to play or associate with, children play with children, adolescents play with adolescents, adults play with adults, but God does not have a playmate. Christians who pretend to be God's friend, while actually undermining him for their own personal pleasures and benefit, they are "playing" with God. When people play with God they make their own rules instead of complying with God's Holy requirements.

The sun is going down. It is getting late in the evening. The ultimate result

of Christians who play with God is that they will get played. The consequence of those who ignore the summons of God “Play Time is Over” are liable to experience Joshua 24:20 (NIV) "If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.”

The solution that Jesus gives to those who are playing church is ...love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.