CHECKMATE?
	In chess, the King is the most important piece. When he is trapped, his whole army loses. The King can move one square in any direction. The main goal of chess is to checkmate your opponent's King. The King is not actually captured and removed from the board like other pieces. But if the King is attacked ('checked') and threatened with capture, it must get out of check immediately. If there is no way to get out of check, the position is a 'checkmate,' and the side that is checkmated loses. Checkmate thus signifies a final defeat or deadlock. There used to be a painting in the Louvre Art Museum in Paris, France, called "Checkmate". It was painted by Friedrich Moritz August Retzsch. It is now in private hands after being sold at Christie's in 1999. This painting depicts two chess players: one is Satan who appears arrogantly confident, and the other player is a man who looks forlorn. If Satan wins, he gains this man's soul! According to legend, an international chess master Paul Morphy visited the Museum once and after studying the painting, noticed that the arrange-ment of the chess pieces were incorrect. According to him, the devil who thought he was winning, was in fact not winning! The man, who thought he was losing, could actually still win the game! His King could still move out of danger. Later on, he could checkmate his opponent, which would make him the winner of the game! He called the curator and they determined that the title didn't fit the scene, because the forlorn-looking player actually had the ability to defeat his opponent, though he obviously didn't realize it. Morphy exclaimed, "The painting is a lie. His King can still make another move!" [I heard this story and after doing some investigation, I found that the original story was published in a chess magazine in 1898/99. Various sermons were based on it afterwards. See www.whatafriend.co.za what-a-friend-an.blogspot.co.za/%202011/07/checkmate.html http://successify.net/2012/08/30/playing-chess-with-the-devil/ www.one-more-move-chess-art.com/] The Lesson to be Learnt Every day we are in a battle for our souls. The devil makes a move, we make a move. Back and forth we go. Sometimes we seem to be winning and sometimes we feel like we are losing. Once in a while, we feel like we are backed into a corner and ready to give up. But when those times come, we need to remember that we always have one more move. But the only way to discover that move is to accept the help of the "Master". He is the One Who knows us even better than we know ourselves. He knows who we are, how we feel, and what we are capable of. He knows our strengths and our weaknesses. When we turn it over to Him and let Him show us how to win, we will always be victorious! Even in our darkest hour, when there seems to be no hope in sight, the Master can come and show us a path to victory. There is always another move for us! - A little boy with two fishes and a few loaves of bread saw that thousands of people needed food. It looked like checkmate, but it was a lie! Jesus, our Lord and King, still had another move left! They collected twelve baskets of leftovers afterwards! - Daniel was thrown into a lion's den full of hungry lions. It looked like checkmate, but it was a lie! God, our King, had another move left! Daniel miraculously survived his ordeal. - The adulterous woman was about to be killed by angry men with stones. It looked like checkmate, but it was a lie! Jesus, our Lord, had another move left! He told her to go and not sin anymore. - The murderer next to Jesus on the cross thought it was the end, yet he still repented. It looked like checkmate, but it was a lie! Jesus, our Lord had a move left. He said: "Today you will be with Me in Paradise ." - On Good Friday the people were screaming: "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" They mocked and hit Him, spit and tortured Him and nailed Him to the cross. They said He could save others, but not Himself. It was over. Checkmate! Satan smiled as everybody left thinking Jesus was dead. But Jesus still had a move left! Come Sunday and Jesus rose from the dead! Our King had another move left! - We think our country is in a mess. There are farm murders, crime and violence everywhere. People lose their jobs, marriages are destroyed, moral values are seemingly non-existent. You become scared and feel lost. You are looking for direction but end up on the wrong path. It looks like checkmate. But it is a lie! Do not fear, the game is not over! Our King still has one move left! Our lives and future are in His hands. You have been bought with His blood - a very expensive price, and you have received amazing grace. Your salvation is sure! 1 Peter 2:24-25: "...Who Himself bore our sins in His Own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness - by Whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls."