Entertainment and Eternity

Harry Potter has the world agog. But the greatest story ever told isn’t about Harry.

Now hold on just a minute. I like a good story as much as anyone and, if she’s anything, author J.K. Rowling is a good storyteller. But while Harry’s adventures make good stories--and amazing profits for Rowling--there’s more to life than entertainment and money.

If all you want is feel-good entertainment and adventure with a suspect morality, then Harry is your guy. But, as the Romans used to say, “Caveat emptor”--let the buyer beware.

As a reader--or the parent of one, you need to be aware that Harry’s adventures are not based on a Biblical World View. The God of the Bible is strangely absent in Harry’s world. But the devil sure gets his due! (Hello! Who’s the source of magic and witchcraft?)

To listen to the media you might think today is the day Harry Potter saves the summer for theaters or that he’s the answer to the bookstores’ summer reading slump. And maybe he is. But if you need hope for the future or help with a wounded heart, “Next please!”

Harry Potter (or J.K. Rowling for that matter) cannot save your soul. And he certainly cannot mend a broken heart, a broken marriage or a broken life. But Jesus can.

The Greatest Story Every Told is about Jesus Christ. In the past 2,000 years, millions of people have discovered him to be the real Savior of the world. And his story is not fiction.

Jesus is more than a figment of some author’s vivid imagination. For anyone who cares to investigate, the evidence points to the fact that Jesus is the Son of God, that he lived and died the way the Bible says and that he said what it reports he said.

Although the Potter phenomena and the number of books it has sold mesmerize the media, the Bible remains the best selling book of all time. Why is that? One reason is because its message can change your life and make an eternal difference for you and your family.

If you’re in business to make money, it makes sense to write a successful story and turn it into a cash cow. But if you care about eternity and people’s souls, it makes more sense to point readers toward a book containing the words of life.

There is much more to life than money, power or fame. Jesus once asked, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” Indeed.

I’m amazed at the adults who are Potter fans. When do they have time to read it? Kids think they have all the time in the world. Adults know it’s limited. Why read a book that won’t matter a 100 years from now when you could be reading something that matters for eternity?

Have you read Jesus’ story? Do you know he lived and died to be your personal Savior? Do you understand he came to save you from the sin that will destroy your world and give you a fulfilling life beyond what you can imagine?

If you want to read an exciting story that’s life changing and WILL matter in 100 years, pick up a Bible. Turn to the New Testament and read the Gospel of John. Then keep reading.

It’s a story that changed my life and the lives of millions around the world. Many have found that Jesus Christ is the answer to the problems of life.

Do you need wisdom to deal with life? I do. The Bible says, “In whom [Jesus] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

The secret to a fulfilling life is not Harry Potter. It’s been Jesus all along.

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!