Holymon, Pokémon (poem)

Listen to audio version here

The game, Pokémon Go!, sends specific GPS coordinates to players around the world who, when they reach these coordinates, encounter virtual characters waiting to be or resist being captured, then players move on in search of their next encounter. Points are accumulated with each capture.

During a recent vacay trek, I encountered and had to sidestep several intensely focused tourists searching for their next Pokémon character. While negotiating both street and sidewalk traffic, they seemed irresponsibly glued to their mobile screens, trying to ensure they would get the right GPS coordinates for their next capture, then move on.

While reflecting, I recalled many innovative ideas in our world have real Biblical roots (e.g., Star Wars), roots that entrepreneurs and developers may not perceive, or even care about. Spiritually disciplined minds, however, easily pick up what our carnal minds miss. Curious? Could there be any similarity between Pokémon Go! and God’s assignments to those of us whom He calls ‘holy’?   

Consider this: Even before creating us, God prepared good works of faith for righteous-minded people to ‘walk in’ (i.e., find, identify and perform).¹ Imagine Him hiding these good works throughout the ages of the earth, and of humanity that would come, works He fully anticipated His spiritually-minded, holy remnant² would ‘walk in(to)’ and perform. Knowing how good and strategic God is, He may have well predetermined not only the works, but also their spiritual, geophysical and age/time coordinates! wOw, such a notion easily trumps measly GPS coordinates! No, we cannot find these works of faith via some man made technology. Only via our regenerated (reborn) spirit, and our minds renewed to His Word and ways will we be able to:

1.    ‘Walk in(to)’ these cloaked coordinates

2.    Perceive opportunities to do a good work of faith

3.    Perform the work with the Grace we received

4.    Glorify God, avoiding satan’s pride trap

Let’s call this… Holymon, Go! ³

Psalm 37:23 affirms the steps of those whom God calls ‘good, just, righteous’ (through faith in His salvation plan) are ordered by The Lord. Yes, our assigned, holy angels are orchestrating our very steps, just as our assigned unholy angels (demons and devils) do their best to counter this orchestration! The operative question is, Who wins?

Like me, have you ever come to opportunities (the cloaked coordinates) to perform a good, righteous work by faith, but did not perform it? Imagine Pokémon Go! players out there searching for their next encounter and capture, seeing the virtual characters on their mobile screens, but not completing the capture. Man, oh man, if only I/we, the righteous, could be as diligent in Holymon Go! as Pokémon Go! players have become around the world. Yeah, I know there are huge differences in terms of time, costs and risks, but the analogy may still be worth considering. What would our lives on earth be like if we were as diligent? And why aren’t we?  Here’s my take. What’s yours?

Love is the single taproot motivator in life. Love manifests itself in its fullness or its absence, which is fear. Indeed, fear is Love - corrupted, like iron that has become rusted and has gradually lost its magnetic properties. Since God is the only revealed source of Love, we can release Love, Himself, only as an expression of our consciousness of Him, and of His loving Grace extended to us. So could a greater Grace-consciousness possibly be the route to tamping down fears that prevent us from ‘walking in(to)’ and performing God’s cloaked good works, works that are designed and reserved for us to perform?

Please join me in praying for an enhanced Grace-consciousness to improve our ‘good works of faith batting average’. As you pray, imagine and ponder this:

A host of angels, holy and evil together,

Performing holy moves, and also those that counter.

All to bring us to our next ‘good works coordinates’,

Then watching, waiting, wondering, they anticipate.

Will you perceive, ponder, and perform it in God’s Grace,

Or bypass it so you can push on in your life’s race?

Then as you stand before Judge Jesus at your life’s end,

Reviewing your good works, will He condemn… or commend?

Good works that in His power we perform,

 Prompt thanksgiving to God, His Word informs.⁴ 
God’s heart is warmed, and our lives are transformed.

But what about those that go… unperformed?

 Holymon, Go!

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¹ See: Ephesians 2:10

² See: The Remnant Among Us

³ Mon, an important Jamaican word that can refer to anyone

⁴ See: 2 Corinthians 9:7-15. NB: Good works are NEVER the basis for salvation. Only by Jesus Christ's sacrificial substitution for us can we access God's eternal salvation.