They get mocked, they’re called names, and they get dirty looks, but they still do what they do. They’re the Chicago Cubs fans that live in St. Louis. Now obviously if they lived in Chicago, being a Cubs fan would be easy. In the same way, it’s hard for Christians to live in a fallen world, but they must stay faithful to Christ. Then, they will get to the perfect reward at the end—heaven.
In the book The Last Battle, the creatures of Narnia face the same enigma. Most of them are scared of being killed, so they don’t stay on Aslan’s side. However, there are a few that trust Aslan with everything even in the midst of danger; this doesn’t mean that they’re not terror-stricken, though. King Tarian was very true when he said to have courage because “we are all between the paws of the true Aslan” (Lewis 134). He is saying here that the Narnians that stay faithful to Aslan never need to be afraid of any situation because He is always watching over and protecting them. The same happens to us in the real world. God is on our side. Then, after all the hardships of wars and battles, King Tarian found himself in a grassy meadow where King Peter figured out that everything in that country was good, and everything was allowed (Lewis 172). Lewis was portraying heaven, a place where perfection is unlimited, in this scene. Everyone wants to get here—who doesn’t? And a relationship with Christ Jesus is our golden ticket.
Now of course all of this is in the Bible too. The truth is spoken out in Psalms 5:11, and it reads, “But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing with joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you”(NIV Study Bible). Clearly, the Bible states here that everyone that is a Christian should never be scared because God’s there for him or her always. And finally, there is one more inspiring passage from the Bible that relates to this topic. Luke 23:42-43 says, “Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ Jesus answered him, ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise”(NIV Study Bible). In this snippet from Luke, Jesus is talking to a criminal on the cross next to his while both of them are using up their last few breaths. Jesus tells him that because he believes in him, he will go to heaven. If anyone, no matter what they did, believes and trusts in Jesus Christ with everything, then they will be saved, and they will reach the perfect, awesome, beautiful reward that is heaven.
Unfortunately, life will get difficult. Being a Christian is no stroll in the park, but those who seek Christ’s face and stand strong through the storm of life will be rewarded for eternity in paradise. So Christians and Cubs fans should keep rooting for their team and never let go no matter how many “go homes” are thrown at them.
Works Cited
Lewis, C.S. The Last Battle. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1994. Print.
Life Application Study Bible – NIV. Carol Stream, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, 2005. Print.
Audrey O.
I like your devotion a lot Audrey. It is true being a christian is not easy. With God we should not be afraid for he is always watching over us and protecting us. Like in missions trips, they might be dangerous but while you are spreading the faith of God, He is watching you and protecting you. The Bible says many times that for spreading the word of God and helping others you will be rewarded. Also, even if we die spreading the faith and truly believe that Jesus died for us and rose again, when we die we will go to Heaven. There the world will be perfect and be everything you wanted. Nice job Audrey.
I love your devotion and how you included the verses.they were great verses although a few of them didnt go along with the devotion.The quotes you added are meaningful and understadable.All of the stuff you wrote inspired me. Thsi a great devotion.Good Job.
That was a good parallel with the Cubs getting teased and Christians getting teased. You used some good vocabulary. I liked the quote “we are all between the paws of the true Aslan.” You explained it good as you said that you needed to be faithful to God no matter what. I reminded me of my life and how I am teased for being a Vikings fan in St. Louis. Psalm 5:11 is a good verse about taking refuge in God. Another verse I remember is, ” In this world you will have, trouble, but take heart; I have overcome the world.” You had a good overall essay.
I highly agree with this paper C.S Lewis did a great job of portraying heaven. In the book the people who believed in Aslan were persecuted just like Christians are today. The book also portrayed a very good judgement day. The creatures would turn away from him and go into Hell but the animals who turned to him would go into heaven. Just like if we turn to him in our lives here on Earth we will be with him forever in heaven. I strongly agree with everything you wrote, this is a very good way to show us that no matter how hard life gets we need to stay strong with the Lord. This was an incredible paper. This really got me thinking about my own faith I need to stay strong with the Lord.
I thought this devotion was really well done. I love how you compared christians with cubs fans. That really gave me a good mental picture. It is so true that it can be scary to be a christian in the real world. At school and church it’s easy to always be a “Godly” person. However, when we leave our christian environment it is easy to just blend in. Trusting in God is so important. This devotion really reminds me how much we need Christ. I liked your devotion a lot. Good job!
The way this devotional was phrased was amazing. The comparison of the cubs and the cardinals help me better understand the devotional and really connect with the topic since I am an avid sports fan. When you think about about living your faith it would sound easy to do but it is hard living and showing your faith to people who are none believers. They may think you are abnormal, stupid, un-intelligent, and down right a church freak. Like it said in the beginning of the devotional that is the way cub fans in St.Louis feels. It just doesn’t feel right. The devotional reminded me of how strong you need to keep your faith. This devotional was amazing. It made me feel better about keeping my faith.
Good job Audrey! I like how you use the example of the cubs. It was an awesome paper!
This is a great devotion! It is written very clearly and east to understand. Your example of the cubs was a great idea. This is a great reminder to me that God will always be there for us. It reminds me of the one song where it says, ” If our God is for us then who could ever stop us.” This is also a reminder that being a christian is not going to be easy. I will be able to put this in my life so much. Thanks for this great reminder. Awesome job!
I loved the way you used the analogy of the cubs and cardinals fans. That really hit me as a truthful statement because I am a cubs fan and no one else that I know is. The verses that you used were fantastic because they made the purpose of the paper stand out. It was clear and easy to read and got straight to the point. good Job.
Great devotion Audrey! I really liked how you used the Cardinals and the Cubs example. You are so right that some Christians are afraid to confess their faith. I think it is true that sometimes it is hard to be a Christian because we have to stand up for what is right. You did a great job plugging in all of the Bible verses to tie into how you should have faith. Your devotion has helped me want to have even stronger faith. You did a great job describing why we should be faithful to God. I loved your devotion!
hey Faith, i loved your title it was great. your title was a attention grabber because it grabbed my attention. nice devotions too. i think the devotions went very well with what you were talking about and probably my favorite one was Psalms 5:11, and no one shouldn’t be afraid of god because he’s always with us and the verse really does speak the truth. but all i want to say is that keep up the good work and the essay was awesome!!!!
Audrey!
I believe that this devotion truly states why every person in the world isn’t a Christian. The fact is, Christians sometimes feel like they are too scared to share their faith. In some cases, Christians are courageous and outgoing, and would gladly share their beliefs. However, many of the times, Christians feel out of place and are too shy to speak up. I feel like that a lot. There are many people that I would love to see in heaven but I feel like I shouldn’t speak to them about Jesus. Sometimes I feel like I would be insulting them by telling them their faith is wrong, even if it’s true. Its not easy being a Christian because you can feel like a fish out of water. People want to see others in heaven but feel like it’s to awkward to talk about Christianity. We have to stay strong in our faith and urge people to join the party!
This devotional essay is incredible. I love how you compared the cubs fans to Christians. That really helped me to see things clearer. Also, I loved how you said “Jesus is our golden ticket to heaven.” That is so true. We NEED him in our lives in order to get to heaven. Sometimes, I too, am afraid of sharing my faith with nonbelievers. But, I then remind myself that God will help me and stick with me no matter what. It is so important to believe that God will be with you through thick and thin. Your essay couldn’t have been worded any better! You did a fantastic job!
Audrey, I really like the way you put and worded this devotion, it was great. I think it was a ingenious example using the cub’s fan in St. Louis, because, like in the real world christians are sometimes prosecuted by non-believers, just like cub’s fans are sometimes “prosecuted” by overreacting cardinal’s fans. For us christians it is hard to live in this world sometimes. This is because we are worried about what others will think of us over what God would think of us if we did what was right. What I mean by this is sometimes we care more about the world’s opinion is then what God’s is. Also, I think it was great how you used the quote,”we are all between the paws of the true Aslan”, I think it fit in great. I like how you put in that bit from Luke about how the robber was saved it was also great. Great devotion.
I think was a very good essay.I think this had a lot of effort and meaning to it. It meant something and it wast helping you out not only with your life but with others. Like when my great grandma passed away I felt like she wasn’t scared at all and she had faith that she was going to heaven. She was a very good women who had lots of faith in everything she did. It all comes to show that God had a plan for everyone and when you have faith it really helps God plan and work in your life. In this essay I liked the verse Luke 23:42-43. It makes you really think about everything and makes you want to be with God forever. Good job Audrey. This essay made me stop and really think.
Wow, Audrey! This was such an amazing essay that used perfect quotes and vocabulary. I totally love the way you used the comparison between Christians and Cub fans. It helped me understand the essay a little more. This reminds me of when I went to my neighbors house, and they joked about me being a Christian a little. Although I loved the essay, I acknowledged that some quotes did not go exactly with the theme. It was great, though!
I completely agree with every part. There are so many ways in the world now a days Christians want to throw in the towel. People tell them being a
Christian is a bad thing. And the part where you used the Bible is great. Sometimes Christians become afraid of god. They think about what if i mess up something God wants me to do. God loves people and cares for them no matter what and u put that in a excellent way. I am really excited to read this again and to show it to others. Great job!
Wow! This paper is great Audrey! One thing that i especially love about this paper is the analogies that are placed throughout the entire paper. These analogies make the paper easy to read and more enjoyable than boring. Also, the title and the grabber were phenomenal! Both made me addicted to finishing the rest of the paper which was also amazing. The wording flowed really well. For example, when it says: “Unfortunately, life will get difficult. Being a Christian is no stroll in the park, but those who seek Christ’s face and stand strong through the storm of life will be rewarded for eternity in paradise,” it was very smooth. Almost like that feeling you get when you drink a really good glass of milk; its not lumpy and uneasy, its smooth and enjoyable. I also liked how you connected your grabber to your conclusion. It was a good way to end such a great paper. Amazing paper Audrey!
Audrey your grabber is terrific. The similarity that you had with the Cubs fan living hear in St. Louis and Christians in general. You relate to the book on many different levels. Your devotion kept me interested from start to the end. Your description and descriptive adjectives are so good that it makes me feel like i am at the place. When you described where King Tarian was he was outstanding. From beginning to end you made your point clear so that i wouldn’t even have to second guess myself. This essay is perfect and i can’t believe a seventh grader did this report. It is great.
What a well stated essay. I love the analogies that you used in this essay, it really helped make your point very clear. If a non- christian were to read this paper it would be very clear about how much we need to trust in the Lord. This was also very well put together, it flowed. I think that my favorite sentence in this was probably this one, “Lewis was portraying heaven, a place where perfection is unlimited, in this scene. Everyone wants to get here—who doesn’t? And a relationship with Christ Jesus is our golden ticket.” It is all very true and there is nothing in your essay that I don’t agree with. This will remind me all week to put God first. And that is so true, a relationship with God is the only way to get to the Lord. I am so glad I got a chance to read your essay, and Audrey, do not stop writing now, the Lord may have plan for you in the future.
Audrey I thought that your paragraph was worded perfectly. I really could relate to the Narnians in may ways. When they were persecuted for there faith there were a couple of thing that came to my mind. One, always do the right thing because it will pay off in the end. If some of my friends are doing something wrong I have to stand up for God and tell them to stop, or walk away. Sometimes, God’s way seems to be the hardest, and a couple times it might be. In the BIble Jesus told us to stand strong in the faith and to never give up. That is the challenge that he has given us to we just have to say,”Bring it on!!”
This article compares amazingly with two things. Both of which I think are very clever, because I am a huge fan of baseball your comparision caught my eye. The noble narnians defidently are like all of the cubs fans in St.louis and of how the don’t get treated right. you said that it dosent stop them from what they are to do though, which I though was perfect. I also like how you included where Jesus was talking to the criminal during his crucifixtion. Some people blogged that the verses dont really combine with the article, i agree with them. I didnt realy feel the connection between them. I really enjoyed reading this and I know other people will too. Nice job!
nice essay Audrey i like how that bible verse was really in context. i like your use of the cubs! you are a great writer. keep that in mind. this essay really taught me a lesson about my relationship with God. i agree with your point about being a Christain it can be really hard to not to give into temptation.THANKS!
That was a great essay with a lot of truth! The comparison was also perfect for the subject sense if cubs fans were here they will be shunned. I could definantely see why this was published on this blog! It helped show also how life will get tough no matter if god is with you or not. Also I liked how there were lots of different examples so it wasn’t repetitive. There was also a lot of adjectives and verbs that added on to the story. “Got Faith?” is also a great way to bring the reader into the story. It is also apply able to everyone’s life (Cubs fans or not). And finally the story was well structured so that it wasn’t boring or repeating things.
hahaha i love the way you used the cubs fans because we all know its true that they get despised because they live in the worst place they could choose. but seriously your right how Christians get tempted and then most fall into temptation. but we are pushed past that and toward heaven. thank you very much Audrey i loved the devo. by the way i love smiley faces