The Game Maker

Published: May 19, 2020, midnight

b'With a pounding heart, Riley leapt off the platform for the umpteenth time. Dodging fireballs, she jumped from foothold to foothold, as heat rose from the lava below.\\nShe was almost there! Ahead was that final jump: that final expanse of lava! She could see the cool, grassy paradise at the end of the course.\\nHer sidekick, Julius, watched his companion dart across the expanse, fielding each obstacle with precision. One jump, two hops, a dash\\u2026and then a final jump\\u2014the most perfect leap Julius had ever seen.\\n\\u201cOh no!\\u201d Julius watched as Riley reached out in vain toward the paradise, falling down into the pit of lava. She was still fifty yards short.\\nFLASH.\\nJulius and Riley returned to the start of the level. Riley\\u2019s eyes brimmed with tears of frustration and anger. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153It\\u2019s no good, Julius! We can\\u2019t do it!\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153We have to! The Game Maker wouldn\\u2019t have made it impossible.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Julius, you saw it! My last jump was perfect. And it wasn\\u2019t even close!\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\nWith no other route through the fiery abyss, the pair decided to rest. They lay down, exhausted. As she fell asleep, Riley whispered a desperate prayer: \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Game Maker, where are you? We can\\u2019t do this!\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\nWhen they awoke, a man stood on the platform. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153I\\u2019ve come,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d he said softly. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153I\\u2019m the Game Maker you called last night.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\nThey stared. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153How\\u2026?\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153I wrote myself into the game.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d He smiled. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Come.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\nHe started across the course. Uncertain and confused, Riley and Julius followed. He motioned them across the final jump. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153You\\u2019ll make it,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d he said. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Trust in me.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d They jumped. But once again they fell short, plunging toward the abyss. But there was the man, reaching out! They grasped his hand, and he bore them up to the final paradise. Riley and Julius were in shock.\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Here you are, friends,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d the Game Maker said. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153The land is yours.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153That\\u2019s it?\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Riley asked. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153That\\u2019s the only way?\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\nThe Game Maker smiled. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Indeed, friend. I am the only way.\\u201d \\u2022 Christiana Cudworth\\n\\u2022 Is it true that \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153God helps those who help themselves\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d? Or does He help us because we can\\u2019t help ourselves (Romans 5:6)? \\n\\u2022 Is it hard to believe we can be saved without believing we have to work for it (Mark 10:15)? \\n\\u2022 Read Romans 3:23. Why can\\u2019t we be saved from sin and death without Jesus? To learn more about what this means, check out our \\u201cKnow Jesus\\u201d page. \\nJesus told him, \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d John 14:6 (NLT)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nRomans 3:19-28'