Waaaay Back in grad school I remember going to a Campus Crusade event at Temple University. They separated the men and the women and had all us men sit down together. Yes, this was back when there were only 2 genders. The leader told us how cruel and manipulative to women we were. He also told us how in life there are three things that cause men to stumble the most. Those three things were power, sex, and money. I agreed, at least with that second part. The Bible calls these three things the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the selfish pride of life (1 John 2:16). For this essay, I am gong to define “the selfish pride of life”  as living a life that is self-centered.

Fast forward and a couple years ago I was in a calendar shop and a guy was talking to his girlfriend and I heard him say, “Am I the only person in the world who has not seen, Game of Thrones on HBO? I could not help but laugh and interject, “Yeah, probably!”

Well, for the same reason I will not explain Game of Thrones to you, except to say that I believe that at its core it deals with very human emotions and desires, despite the dragons. All three of those three previously mentioned human motivators, the lust of the eyes, the flesh, and the pursuit of wealth make up the game of thrones, the games we play for success, both in the tv show and in real life.

The lust of the eyes. We are all motivated by the gold and riches and opulence of Westeros or Chicago, New York City, Houston, Los Angeles, or wherever you are reading from, and we work hard to get it. The TV tells us that in order to be seen by women and admired by others, we need a super nice car and flashy bling. They are of course, not 100% incorrect. Regardless of that, its nice to have nice things!

However, the Word teaches us something different. We are taught in the Bible that our wealth and comforts can be taken away from us at any time. More importantly, we are taught that the Lord is a jealous God who will allow no idols before Him. We are also taught that those who are extremely wealthy tend to put God aside and that leads to judgement. Actually, if you take the time to actually read the Bible, it says A LOT about wealth and money and prosperity.

The Lannisters in Game of Thrones (except for Tyrion) have a lot of money and are backed by the Iron Bank. They fill their lives with grand luxuries, ornate armor, and beautiful baubles. The family members of Cersi, Jeffery, etc…,are also the most evil and despised families of Westeros. Clearly. the producers agree with me that making nice things your god leads to ruinous behavior and moral depravity.

I remember another tv show I saw on the lives of people who won the lottery. I think it was on the E channel as a documentary (apologies, I am not able to give a more accurate source). One man gave tons of money to his local church, yet his personal life was falling apart in spades. He ended up shooting himself. Giving money to charity is a wonderful thing but money is not the answer to everything! You can build the Temple with your money but if there is no temple in your heart then you are going to collapse!

If you have the money, take some time and spend some time with the Lord. Build that temple! It should help you to remember that the Lord doe snot need your money, the cattle on a thousand hills are His! If you do not have the ability to go an an extended vacation, pray about it and remember that we all have a few minutes before bed or several minutes in the morning where we can do a chapter or 2 and pray and ask the Lord to go with us today and for His blessing on our ambitions and/or to guide us into His.

It is His job to sit on the (Iron) throne, He is the king we need and the only one who deserves it. He is the rightful heir and the only one that can manage it for His glory and our ultimate benefit. He is the father of us all and the Father of Dragons and everything else. He is the King of Kings!

Proverbs 30:7-9 …7Two things I asked of You, Do not refuse me before I die: 8Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feedme with the food that is my portion, 9That I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the LORD?” Or that I not be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God

———————————————————————–W.