~ The Most Important Game Of All! ~
Disclaimer:
“Football” as used in this post refers to American football—not
soccer—however the majority of concepts are applicable to most team
sports.
There are
many parallels between a hard-fought football game and living the Christian
life the way God intended. Here are a
few examples.
Fundamentals ~ Who practices the fundamentals of football more
than others? Professional football
players—those who already are the best in their field! Who wins the Super Bowl? Usually the team which executes the
fundamentals the best! “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in
spirit,
in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which
was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the
eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your
progress may be evident to all. Take
heed to yourself and to doctrine.
Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and
those who hear you” (1 Timothy 4:12-16).
Team Sport
~ A great football team is made
of very good offense, defense, and special teams. It is extremely hard to be a “Lone Ranger
Christian,” but more importantly God never intended that. We are to gain support from one another—with
various spiritual gifts and positions to play.
We are also told to have fellowship with God the Father (1 John 1:3),
Jesus Christ the Son of God (1 Corinthians 1:9, 1 John 1:3), the Holy Spirit of
God (Philippians 2:1, 2 Corinthians 13:14), and with our fellow Christians
(Philippians 3:1-6).
Coaching ~ We all need to be taught and mentored. We all need regular encouragement. “He who walks with wise men will be wise,
but the companion of fools will be destroyed” (Proverbs
13:20). God intends for us to seek Godly
counsel. The most important counsel is
the Word of God and the Spirit of God. “Your servant meditates on
Your statutes. Your testimonies also are my delight and my
counselors” (Psalm 119:23b-24). “Exhort one another daily” (Hebrews 3:13a).
Bursts Of Activity
~ In football only a small part
of the total game time involves demanding physical action. In the Christian life only a small part of
our time demands our full spiritual strength.
The time between burst of activities should be used for rest and
preparation for the next skirmish. “In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always
be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason
for the hope that you have. But do this
with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience” (1
Peter 3:15-16a).
The “Big Play” Concept
~ In most football games (and
other team sports) only 2-4 plays make all the difference between winning or
losing. As team members approach the
line of scrimmage they never know if this will be one of those big plays. Defensively will the ball carrier come right
at them? If so, will they be able to
successfully stop him? Offensively will
this be the play that breaks the game open?
“Be sober, be
vigilant; because your adversary the
devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). “A small mistake can outweigh much wisdom and
honor” (Ecclesiastes 10:1, TLB).
A Game Of Individual Battles ~
Like any war or team sport the Christian fight is made up of individual
soldiers or teammates taking action one play at a time. You may lose some individual battles but you
keep on fighting because there is a game/war to win. Consider for example the testimony of the
Apostle Paul regarding some of his individual skirmishes: “From the Jews five
times I received forty stripes minus one.
Three times I was beaten with
rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night
and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils
of robbers, in perils of my own
countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles,
in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in
weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings
often, in cold and nakedness besides the
other things, what comes upon me daily” (2 Corinthians
11:24-28a).
Injuries Occur
~ In the Christian life, just
like in football, injuries occur. In
both cases they sometimes come from our own teammates. Football players don’t quit in those
situations and neither should we. “We get knocked
down, but we get up again and keep going”
(2 Corinthians 4:9b, TLB).
Rules
& Consequences ~ In
football penalties imposed for an individual infraction hurts the overall team
effort and sometimes the team reputation.
In the Christian life the consequences of disobedience to God’s commands
hurt the overall Christian effort and sometimes seriously damage the reputation
of Jesus Christ and His Church. Remember
this key principle: While you cannot
change God’s character you can damage His reputation! “But Peter and the
other apostles answered and said: ‘We
ought to obey God rather than men.
The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a
tree. Him God has exalted to His right
hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of
sins. And we are His witnesses to these
things, and so also is the Holy Spirit
whom God has given to those who obey Him’” (Acts
5:29-32).
Play To Win
~ The primary objective of any
game is to win. “Do
you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is
temperate in all things. Now they do it
to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with
uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one
who beats the air. But I discipline my
body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I
myself should become disqualified” (1 Corinthians
9:24-27).
Let Down After Victory
~ How many times have we observed
a football team getting defeated by a low-caliber team which they should have
easily beaten? In a high percentage of
the time these situations occur following a big victory over a difficult opponent. The same is true in the Christian life—it is
so easy to lower our guard following a spiritual victory. We see this in the life of a number of
Biblical characters. Perhaps most notable
we even see this same pattern in life of our Lord as Satan goes on the
attack. Immediately following His
baptism He was driven out into the wilderness to be tempted (Matthew 3:13-4:11). However our Lord did not let down.
Spectator To Player Ratio
~ Someone has quipped that
football games are a paradox since there are thousands of fans resting in the stands who desperately need exercise and only
a few exhausted players on the field who desperately need rest.
Unfortunately the same can be said about the Christian Army. Our Lord needs more individuals to get out on
the front lines of the most important game of all—the game of life! “I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you...
For God
has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound
mind” (2 Timothy 1:6-7). “Let us consider one
another in order to stir up love and good
works” (Hebrews 10:24).
Closing Comment
~ True team players do not want to let their coaches, teammates, or fans
down. In the Christian life our actions
should cause our enemies and their fans to respect us (even though they may not
be rooting for us), encourage our fans (fellow believers), our spiritual
leaders (mentors, pastors), and most of all bring honor to our Head Coach. “Therefore, whether
you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do
all to the glory of God. Give no
offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, just as I
also please all men in all things, not
seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be save” (1
Corinthians 10:31-33).
Additional Note:
If you enjoyed this post you might want to read a prior ALN post
entitled “The
Divine Sport” (October 8, 2014).
~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW
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