WEDNESDAY'S WORD - SIMULATE - Sadell Bradley - 3/10/2021

WEDNESDAY'S WORD SIMULATE 3/10/2021 "There is no disguise which can hide love for long where it exists, or simulate it where it does not."  - Francois de La Rochefoucauld We have many new things in our home — yet we still have these old alarm clocks. It makes absolutely no sense, but it's true. The other day, as I awakened, I turned my head and was shocked to see a "SIMULATED WOOD" sticker on the side of one of the clocks. How had I missed that all of these years? I chuckled, "Duh!" Were we that naive in the '90s? Did they think they'd fooled us into thinking this ugly plastic was real wood? SIMULATE means to imitate the appearance or character of; to pretend to have or feel an emotion; to produce a model of, copy, or represent. Astronaut Sally Ride said, "Even though NASA tries to simulate launch, and we practice in simulators, it's not the same—not even close to the same." Simulation, whether in love, clocks, or shuttle launches, is not the same as the real thing. Why are we so enamored with imitations and fakery? Why do we want phony relationships? What is attractive about "virtual reality?" Why hold on to simulated wooden clocks? I WANT THE REAL. In Mark 13:21-23, (The Message), Jesus reminded his disciples that He was the genuine article. He warned them about the leadership landscape in the time to come. It feels eerily similar to what we are seeing today, “If anyone tries to flag you down, calling out, ‘Here’s the Messiah!’ or points, ‘There he is!’ don’t fall for it. Fake Messiahs and lying preachers are going to pop up everywhere. Their impressive credentials and bewitching performances will pull the wool over the eyes of even those who ought to know better. So watch out. I’ve given you fair warning." Maybe we're so used to simulations that we've forgotten who the real anointed Savior of mankind is. It's not a celebrity. It's not a politician. It's not a wealthy mogul, a sports figure, or even a televangelist. It's that carpenter's son Jesus from the town of Nazareth, whose own neighbors didn't believe in Him. (Mark 6:5) Maybe our penchant for raising up and worshipping simulated Messiahs is causing us to miss out on the real...to our hurt, but we will find... It's not the same—not even close to the same. TONIGHT! 7:00 PM FB LIVE The Warehouse OTR YouTube @warehouseOTR