Mark Sorensen OK. I will admit it. I may be on the Pokémon GO app bandwagon and, apparently, I’m not the only one. Within 24 hours of its release, it has become the biggest mobile game in U.S. history with about 21 million users playing on a daily basis. Now, perhaps you are in the minority and have no idea what this phenomenon is all about. The short of it: we’re surrounded by little cartoony, invisible Pokémon creatures waiting to be captured. When you log in to the game on your mobile phone, the Pokémon virtual world collides with the real world and you’re able to see creatures around you that, without your phone, you wouldn’t know existed. So, what do you do? You look for them, you find them, and you catch them.
Honestly? I think there’s a beautiful truth we can glean from this game.
In Ephesians 2:8–9, the Apostle Paul teaches that salvation is by grace, through faith, and not by works. And if that’s not enough, Paul goes on to say in verse 10, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Truly, what an amazing statement, right? Not only are we created in Christ Jesus, born anew for the purpose of doing good works, but we’re also created to do good works that God has prepared in advance for us to do. The English Standard Version actually provides a more literal translation of verse 10. It reads, “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” This word, “walk,” actually translates to our ordinary, day-to-day duties. Theologian Jerry Bridges puts it this way, “We all have a tendency to rise to the special occasions of our lives, but God has created us to do our good works in the midst of the humdrum of daily living.”
It’s pretty amazing to think that today, in this very moment, God has placed in our paths intentional opportunities to “walk toward” moments that bring His goodness into a world desperately in need of His love and compassion.
So what will we walk toward? Perhaps it’s giving a smile. Maybe it’s opening a door for someone. It could be walking up to a complete stranger who you see is having a bad day and offering to pray for him or her. Lean in to the Holy Spirit and see where the Spirit directs you. Whatever it is, I do know this: those opportunities are like little Pokémons hiding all around us. Our job? See the world through God’s eyes of compassion and love. And then? We mustn’t stop at seeing. We must put feet to our faith.
Take Ephesians 2:10 seriously and that is a game changer, my friends.
