In basketball there are boundary lines. If you cross these lines, the ball is turned over to the other team. By crossing these boundaries, you give the other team an advantage. The game of life has many boundaries that must be constantly considered.

King David crossed a boundary when he should have been at war but stayed home and let others do the fighting. He crossed another boundary when he became a voyeur. That led to the crossing of another boundary which was adultery. This became a habit that resulted in the murder of one of his most loyal soldiers.

This is his confession after what resulted from his lack of focus.

Psalm 51:1-4
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to Your steadfast love;
according to Your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!

For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.

Against You, You only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in Your sight,
so that You may be justified in Your words
    and blameless in Your judgment.

You did it and have to suffer the consequences, but remember the game isn’t over. The error you made will only make winning harder.

Keep an eye on those boundaries.

Think about it.

Gary

I don’t know if you have any top-secret documents in your house, but there sure are a lot of people who do. How would you fare if the FBI, CIA and IRS investigated you? How about if they went back over your goggle searches since you struck the first key, checked out every tax return, analyzed every Facebook posting, dug through your emails and asked Siri what you have been saying since you brought her home?

Bet your sweating now. I’m not trying to give you a hard time. I’m just trying to get you not to give others a hard time.

Titus 2:14

who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

Luke 6:37

“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;

Get on your knees and confess it all; then get up and do your taxes.

Think about it.

Gary

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”
― Robert Frost

I don’t know much about your experience on the planet, Bob, but you nailed this one. Our youth can only be seen in the review mirror. The doctors’ visits have taken on a more serious tone. There have been too many funerals with a piece of my heart also buried. Even if the anticipation of bedtime seems to be the highlight of the day, life goes on. It must go on and we must be a part of it.

I’m sure Joseph felt the same way as his torturous journey took him down into Egypt. However, the Scripture clearly teaches life has an eternal purpose and must go on.

Psalm 105:16-19

Moreover He called for a famine in the land;
He destroyed all the provision of bread.

He sent a man before them—
Joseph—who was sold as a slave.

They hurt his feet with fetters,
He was laid in irons.

Until the time that his word came to pass,
The word of the Lord tested him.

Let’s just keep on going until the results of life here will be read at the end of the line.

Think about it.

Gary

I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let’s face it, friends make life a lot more fun.

Charles R. Swindoll

I’ve returned to my memory bank and reviewed all the friendships I’ve had over the last seven decades. They made my world easier and more enjoyable. Not many of them have been thanked by me, not that they needed it, just saying. That’s why they are so special because that quality seems to have been in them all.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Job 6:14 

“He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.

Give it some thought, then offer a prayer of thanksgiving.

Gary

And in his final words
I found an ace that I could keep

Now that ace is a mirage that will only prove to be illusionary in the young gambler’s life. Now if there is a different meaning here, it would be that the young man now has learned not to follow the path of the old gambler. If we can learn from the tragic lives of others, then we are far ahead of the game.

Proverbs 27:17 

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

3 John 1:11 

Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.

Philippians 3:17 

Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.

Give it some thought.

Gary

And when he finished speakin’
He turned back toward the window
Crushed out his cigarette
And faded off to sleep
And somewhere in the darkness
The gambler he broke even

The old guy died, but did he really break even? There is no evidence of that possibility by his lifestyle. Certainly, his last words revealed he still had a debt. We owe the Creator and I’d certainly want to make sure that debt was paid before I left the earth. Christ came to relieve us of spiritual debt. Don’t play games with this one.

Colossians 2:14 

By canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Romans 6:23 

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Give it some thought.

Gary

Every gambler knows that the secret to survivin’
Is knowin’ what to throw away and knowing what to keep
‘Cause every hand’s a winner and every hand’s a loser
And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep

Now there is something to hope for. Death brings an end to the game. You won some and you lost more and your hope is to die in your sleep. You were just another product of time and chance and the luck of the draw. Practically every person who buys a megabuck ticket has the same philosophy.

The Bible doesn’t just contain the best you can hope for, it can anchor you to a sure hope.

Romans 15:13 

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Romans 12:12 

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Psalm 39:7 

“And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.

Give it some thought.

Gary