Teens: Something to Think About
(Psalm 1:4)
After a recent game, a couple of students at a local high school beat up a teen from a rival school who had taunted the opposition. Ashamed of the incident, students disgustingly referred to them as "losers."
Losers. The name conjures up thoughts of bad kids, unkempt hair, excessive jewelry, alternate dress, and wrong crowds. It speaks of those who have poor judgment, make questionable choices, and defy what is right.
Now, outward appearances do not always perfectly indicate what is going on inside. Sometimes losers are found among the clean-cut, the well-behaved, and the proper.
What are "losers"?
According to the Bible, losers are those who take on God and his ways. They are losers because they are on the wrong side of God's laws, members of a team which has already been beaten, with one foot on a banana peel. Like their mentality, their future is not very bright:
"The wicked are ... as the chaff, which the wind driveth away." (Psalm 1:4)
You see, losers are those who like to do bad things. They do not just play at it--they work hard at it. And by "bad" I mean the things which God says are wrong.
Losers do not care about anyone but themselves. Particularly when it comes to authority. Especially God's authority.
Who are "losers"?
I am not speaking of just those who deface walls, break into lockers, or cheat on exams. Losers also include those who would not dream of doing these things but who would not hesitate to argue with Mom, dislike someone more popular, fib to their friends, poke fun at others, or play around in the back seat. Or wish they could.
According to the Bible, no one measures up. We are all losers.
The Bible calls these people who think they can do just fine, thanks, without God, "wicked" and "ungodly." Sometimes it is the people with the prettiest hair, biggest smiles, and nicest clothes who have declared open rebellion against God's ways.
What do they lose?
They are unstable. They think they have the world by the tail, but the slightest puff of wind will bring them down and mess up all their plans. Like dust, they cover a lot of territory but are destined for the dust mop.
Which is what is so sad. Whether outsiders or members of the "in" group, those who do not even think about what God says, much less plan to follow it, will eventually pay for it. It will catch up to them. They will wind up on the receiving end of those dishing out the same stuff. And they will end up facing somebody who does not like what they are doing. Look around. The landscape is littered with the wreckage of those who thought they were invincible and in charge. But someone bigger and meaner knocked the chip off of their shoulder and gave them a dose of reality.
And, in the end, losers will have to answer to a displeased God. Those accustomed to patting themselves on the back and hearing only applause will find themselves listening to a different tune: "You lose!"
The sure-fire formula for messing up your life and shipwrecking forever is to thumb your nose at God. Some folks decided a long time ago, "Let us not fight against God" (Acts 23:9).
How not to lose
But consider the other side. If you will admit to God your stubbornness and rebellion, and if you will ask him to forgive you, he will give you a shot of his awesome power and will change you. He will make a new person out of you. Because Jesus Christ died on the cross to take the punishment for losers so they could become winners.
If you will decide with his help to learn and practice what he wants, you will be successful in everything you do, whether in appearance, relationships, or your career. Because the God who was able to raise Jesus up from the grave will go to bat for you.
Before you look down your nose at the kids from the wrong side of the tracks, check your own track record according to the Bible.
Then ask God for his help to make the switch. When you start hanging out with Jesus Christ and his crowd, you cannot lose!
(Copyright 1995, 2003 by Roger D. Adams.)
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