One of the intriguing characters in literature and opera is Dr. Faust. The character of Faust was based on a German legend about a man who made a pact with the devil, surrendering his soul in exchange for youth, knowledge, and magical powers.

One artist put the legend onto canvas, depicting the story of Faust as a grim chess game. On one side of the table sits Faust, a symbol of men and women in the world, with only three or four pieces on the board in front of him. His face is contorted in despair. On the other side of the table the devil sits back in his chair gloating over his apparent victory. The artist titled his painting, "Checkmate." A chess master came to the art gallery, stood before the picture, and studied it for a long time. Then he exclaimed, "It's not over! It's not checkmate! The king and the knight still have another move!"

Many times throughout history it has appeared that Satan is winning the game. The god of this world seems to control the board. Yet, Jesus Christ has the final move. Paul could boldly assert, "The God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly" (Rom. 16:20). The evil one cannot and will not win. As Christians, we can live in the sturdy confidence that the game isn't over till it's over.  — Haddon W. Robinson