Your Move

Chess is an interesting game. I enjoy playing it with my daughter. Unfortunately, 3,000 miles and busy lives tend to interfere with frequent games. One day we hit upon a solution. By using a Microsoft Excel® spreadsheet, my daughter made a chess board and set it up using colored text for the pieces. She is blue and I am orange. A move is made by cutting/pasting. The Excel® document is then attached to an e-mail.

As an extra bonus, we have fun getting creative with the subject line of the e-mails. For example, when I took one of her pawns, I wrote in the subject line, “A-pawn departure”. When she took one of my knights, she wrote, “Do I hear the sound of a horse galloping away?” (I know, all you ‘chess purists’ out there shudder when the knight is referred to as a horse). Capturing a rook prompted, “I hope you don’t feel too ‘rooked’.” The taking of a rook with a knight (which moves in an ‘L’ shape) was announced by “A c-rook-ed move”. “The ‘check’ is in the e-mail”, accompanied a very bad move which cost me one of my rooks. One of my favorites was a warning that read, “If you take my queen, I’ll take yours.” I believed her.

Chess games, like wars are won by developing and following good strategy. When we move a chess piece, we need to be aware of the consequence of each move, including the effect that (we hope) it will have on our opponent. If we can somehow get them to respond in a particular way that fits in with our strategy, we will win the game.

God is very strategic. Everything He does has a purpose and He actually does know all the ramifications of each move. His strategy is designed to make us winners. Unfortunately, the devil also has a strategy. The bible calls them schemes and according to 2 Corinthians 2:11 we do not have to be unaware of them, “so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.”

We can know and cooperate with God’s strategy as we see in Romans 2:18 “and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law,”. Also, when Jesus came, He explained to us some of God’s strategic moves like, ‘forgive’, ‘love your enemies’ and ‘give’, to name a few. The devil’s plan is, of course, just the opposite, ‘get revenge’, ‘hate your enemies’ and ‘keep’. The results of each one of these actions is incalculable.

In the game of chess there are no ‘neutral’ moves. That means that every move we make helps either us or our opponent. The same thing is true in real life. When we resist God’s nudge to move in a certain way, we are actually helping the enemy.

There is of course a big difference between a game of chess and life. I can move my little chess pieces around the board any where I want to without resistance from them. The same is not true for God. Because we were given a free will, we can resist the Lord. Sometimes we defy His way of moving because it doesn’t make sense, or maybe we don’t feel like doing what ever it is He is telling us to do. No matter what reason we have for not obeying God; we have to understand that our decisions are not neutral. Jesus said, "He who is not with Me is against Me…” Matthew 12:30

God knows that we really do want to please Him, and He understands that sometimes it is hard. Encouragement is found in Hebrews that says, “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15. We are also told in Philippians 2:13 “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Our only hope is to look to the Lord, “for in Him we live and move and exist…” Acts 17:28. It is a willingness issue, not ability. It’s time to choose what side we’re on.
Your move.

Senia Owensby
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