Love Triangle

 

Aah, the love triangle. It's a classic.  Sure to add a little zest to any story. All the pining, angst-filled dialogue and unrequited gazes  can make for a compelling break from the action of your favorite story. 

How can our favorite characters possibly choose who they truly love?  Jack or Sawyer?  Nathan or Duke?  Addison or Meredith?  Abby or Ziva (okay that one's a decision for us viewers...)  Team Edward or Team Jacob?  Mr. Wickham or Mr. Darcy?  Roy or Jim?  Lana or Chloe...or Lois?  And don't get me started on choosing between Adam, Hoss and Little Joe.

Often, our gorgeous and complicated leading lady has to decide whether she wants the good man or the bad boy.  Personally, I have no clue why she needs to agonize over whether she wants the affectionate firefighter or the adulterous criminal.  It just seems like a no-brainer! 

When I think about it, I realize that the Bible is about an epic love triangle.  It's about us deciding who we love most: Jesus Christ or anything else.  Jesus is the good man: the loving, self-sacrificing, attentive, affectionate hero.  And anything that we would choose over Him is the bad boy.  The bad boy might be pride telling us that we don't need God's forgiveness through Jesus or guilt telling us that we're too bad for Jesus to forgive.  The bad boy might be our own selfishness telling us to not even consider Jesus because Jesus wouldn't approve of our favorite activity.

Just like a real life bad boy, the things that keep people from Jesus can be very attractive, charming and fun.  And just like a bad boy, they don't love or respect you.  They'll string you along and then break your heart.  Anything that stops you from accepting Jesus as your Savior is really trying to send you to Hell.  When you look at it the way God does, it's really a no-brainer!  

Even after you accept Jesus, you'll still have feelings for that bad boy.  You'll catch yourself flirting with that stuff that Jesus tells you not to do, the stuff that's bad for you.  The instant you accept Jesus, He is totally committed to you and will never, ever, ever leave you no matter what you do.  But that bad boy can keep you from enjoying your relationship with Jesus.  So send the bad boy packing because the love triangle isn't worth it.  

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9

"There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

"Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.  For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions.  These are not from the Father, but are from this world."
1 John 2:15-16

"Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.  Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.  Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy."  Ephesians 4:21-24

   

Previously On

             We've all heard it.  The sixty second recap montage before a new episode.  Sometimes the review can be redundant but if you've ever watched a complicated show like LOST, Once Upon a Time or Person of Interest you can appreciate a quick rundown. 
              If you had tried to watch an episode of LOST in the middle of a season, you wouldn't have had any idea what was going on.  You'd need the recap to tell you that a plane crash left an odd group of survivors on a mysterious island already occupied by a cult of peacey psychopaths.  You wouldn't know what a "tailie" was or what "the hatch" meant.  And pressing a button every 108 minutes would just sound crazy to you.  You'd be, well... lost.

             It's the same thing with the Bible.  If you just pull one verse off of a random page and don't read the surrounding verses or look at God's Word as a whole, the message you get might be confusing or you might interpret it wrong.
             Being confused about an episode of LOST is one thing- LOST is just a TV show- but being confused about the basic messages of the Bible is another.  The Bible is God's message to humanity.  It's all about life, death, Heaven and Hell.  The most important things for any person.  And even if you don't believe it yet, it is so important to understand it clearly.  So don't take it out of context!  Make sure you look into the "previously on".

House Hunters International: An Island In The Sun

            House Hunters International features home buyers searching for the right property in another country.  It lets me get a peak at gorgeous tropical locations with their private beaches and Brazilian wood balconies overlooking lush mountains and frolicking monkeys.  The tropics make me sigh with the relaxation that you most feel when you are there.  Paradise. 

             I love to watch shows that highlight beautiful locations.  LOST and Hawaii Five-0 give amazing Hawaiian scenery every chance they get.  Ahhh, Hawaii.  I love to look at it and I love the idea of it.  It's gorgeous!  Sunny and green, covered with lush plants and flowers, surrounded by lovely white sand beaches and the sparkling aqua of the ocean.

             I love the idea of the vacation spot.  I read Islands Magazine and decorate my walls with pictures of beautiful places.  I daydream about retiring to a life of leisure and freedom.  But the truth is, while tropical locations are gorgeous and wonderful and filled with things to enjoy; problems still exist there.  Time still exists there.  Money and crime and noise still exist there.  The weather isn't always calendar worthy and the people are not always friendly.  I still want to go, of course, but a vacation spot is not actually Paradise.   

             Heaven is, though.  Heaven is a real place.  More beautiful than all the wonders of this earth.  More relaxing than I can understand.  More...right than I've ever experienced.  And I'm retiring there someday.  Are you?

             The Bible describes Heaven as a golden city filled with God's presence and everything good (Revelation 21).  An existence of only happiness, safety and belonging- FOREVER! 

             “Look, God’s home is now among His people!  He will live with them, and they will be His people.  God Himself will be with them.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”  Revelation 21:3b-4

             But Heaven is only for those God has forgiven for the wrongs they have done.  And to be forgiven you have to ask.  Jesus died in our place, taking our punishment from God as our substitute and then rose from the dead to prove we can be forgiven and go to Heaven someday.

"God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him.  This is real love—not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins."

                                                       1 John 4:9-10

          The Bible says we don't deserve this.  We don't deserve Heaven.  But God loves us and wants us to be with Him.  All we have to do is ask.

         

           "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."  Romans 10:9

             Tell Jesus you need Him!  He can hear you wherever you are.  Ask Him to forgive your sins.

             When Jesus was on the cross, the criminal dying next to Him put his faith in Jesus.  Jesus assured him, "today you will be with Me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43)  When God decides it's time, I'll be with Him in Paradise too.  I'm "retiring" there.  Until then, I'll daydream about it. 

Song Recommendation:  An Island In The Sun by Weezer

(This song is on the first Smallville soundtrack and gave me the idea for this article)

 "Jesus told him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.' " John 14:6