So You Think You Can Dance…for God?

By Lane Palmer, Christian Post Guest Columnist Friday, July 31, 2009

Pop quiz: do the names Kayla & Jason, Brandon & Jeanine, and Melissa & Ade ring a bell? They do if you're a So You Think You Can Dance fan. Now with over 100 episodes and 5 seasons, SYTYCD has captured the attention and imagination of millions of loyal viewers.

Not being the particularly off-the-charts dance fan, I must admit that watching the couples soar, twist, twirl and entwine around the stage has a certain appeal…especially for a guy that pulls a hamstring with even a simple moonwalk attempt.

Now I know that freely admitting as a guy that I find a dance competition interesting puts me at risk of having my man card confiscated, but there is another element of SYTYCD that is even more interesting to me, and that is the judges.

Think about it, in the hands of John, Abbey, and others is the fate of everything the dancers have planned, practiced, and practically killed themselves over.

And you can see it on their faces, can't you? When the dance is over, the moment of truth arrives, and their destiny is evaluated and determined based on their performance.

And so will mine. No, I don't even think I can dance in hip hop/jazz/rumba way, and even if I could, I could also care less what a panel of human judges thought. No, my day-to-day life is a different kind of dance. The music I hear is the whisper of God's Spirit living inside me, and every moment of every hour, I choose to soar, twist, twirl, and entwine my life with the plan that God wrote for me before the universe even existed.

You've heard the music too, haven't you? It's the prompt to help a homeless person, forgive a friend, and tell others about God's incredible message of freedom and salvation through Jesus Christ. At that point, you either choose to dance or you choose to attend to other music - the tunes of the world and your selfish nature.

Either way, one day the dance will be done, and the moment of truth will arrive. And, just like SYTYCD, your destiny will be evaluated and determined.

Please don't take my word for it, but please do take God's word for it:

Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment (Hebrews 9:27).

For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body (2 Corinthians 5:10).

On the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person's work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames (1 Corinthians 11:13-15).

There's a reason God was kind enough to let us know about Judgment Day, and that is to motivate you to dance your heart out for Him and His Kingdom. If you're trusting in Jesus as your only hope of salvation, you already know that you're going to heaven because of what Christ did for you. But additionally, when you work hard for God's glory with the blood, sweat, and tears of your days here on earth, you can look forward to hearing the applause of heaven.

Not only that, but Christians who live each moment with a thirst to please the Lord Jesus by loving Him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving humanity as themselves, will also hear twelve words that will deafen even the loudest cries of approval:

'Well done, good and faithful servant! Come and share your master's happiness!' (Matthew 25:21).

Believe me, that's a reward for your efforts that can never be matched here on earth. Remember, whatever name, fame, bling or anything else you achieve from your time here will die with you. But every dance move you invest in response to God's voice earns you a reward that will last forever.

So…do you think you can dance? I believe you can - and I hope to see you in the victory circle!

Flashpoint: Ignite Into Action

Talk to your friends about SYTYCD and what they think about the show. Use that as an opportunity to bring up the subject of judgment and if they think they will ever be judged and on what basis. Pray for an opportunity to share the gospel as a result of this conversation.

Accelerant: Feed the Flame

Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt (Daniel 12:2).
You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat (Romans 14:10).

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son (Revelation 21:1-7).