Morning Devotional

August 15, 2003

"Reality TV"  

by Don Emmitte

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Even in his own land and among his own people, he was not accepted. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn! This is not a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan--this rebirth comes from God. (John 1:12 NLT). 

The first reality television episode was several years ago. On the South China Sea the premise of Survivor was: to out will, out play, out last the rest of the group to become the ultimate survivor and win the one million dollar prize. Indeed, Richard Hatch and Kelly Wiglesworth had to outwit each other to become the victor. Rich claimed he played the game right, he was a leader and just a bit arrogant, and he was able to catch fish so the tribe could eat. On the other hand, Kelly wasn't in it for herself, she wasn't a loyal member of the Alliance and she had won 5 immunities; she was transparent. Though questionable, she admitted she was not political and that it was faith that helped her. In her final address she reflected, "Who am I, what am I about?"

So the first Survivor episode on CBS was over and the 51 million viewers looked forward to Survivor II. Since then there have been many spin-offs of this show and it’s concept of entertainment. There are many expressions that can be incorporated into actually surviving. They can be listed: “may the best man win,” “what goes around comes around,” “you are what you eat,” “your environment determines who you are,” or “the one with the most toys wins in the end.”

Survival, to out-will, out-play and out-last all the others. Is that what we are all about? If there is only one person that can win the prize, the fact is the rest of us are "losers," for someone will eventually outwit us. I have found great assurance in the fact that there is someone who can still make us into a somebody. God loves to interact and intervene in our lives to make us something special. There are many examples in the Scripture that show He cares for those who are victims of circumstances, violence, abuse, and hatred. These people may have felt like losers, but He called them His treasures.

This is the promise of our reading this morning: But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. Just as we like to protect our treasures in safe enclosures, God loves to protect His treasures. Man's basic choice is to resolve that we cannot survive without Him. That's what true survival is: surviving with Him, being one of His treasures! This is the ultimate immunity. Are you able to survive with Him and are you one of His treasures? If not, then pray this morning asking God to open your heart and mind to the indwelling presence of His Son. You will then begin the journey on a path that leads to life. You won’t just be surviving. You will be winning!