I Will Never View Sports the Same Again
It’s Saturday morning and there are three games on the schedule today spaced out perfectly so I can see every play of every game. And then we can’t forget about the highlights and analysis of every game. I’ve prepared my mind for this day the whole week and have discussed everything that would have to go right for my team to win. I’ve prepared my heart to be filled with excitement when the team I bet on wins or despair when my team loses. All the while, Sunday morning comes and I am unprepared and rushing around to be in fellowship with my fellow believers. I sit there distracted by everything except the Word of God, eager to leave so I can watch some NFL football. Another full slate of games fills up the day and dominates every conversation I am engaged in. The whole week is dominated by talk about the games and what could have happened differently so my team could win. My attitude during the week is determined by how my teams performed over the weekend. With this way of life, what God am I serving?
Before I was serving Christ, I was serving myself through the joy of sports. Investing so much time and desire into sports for my own good instead of using sports as a way to glorify God. Sports are a good gift from God that I took as a good gift for my glorification instead of glory for Him.Sports are an avenue we can use to become more like Christ. If we are intentional, watching and playing sports can grow and demonstrate our humility, honor, love for others, submission to authority, self-control, discipline, and character. Valuing the use of sports to grow in godliness is far more important than valuing sports for the sake of winning and losing. As a result of growing in our own godliness, we can use our love for sports to connect others to the glorious Giver of the gift we love.Am I using the gift of sports from God to glorify the gift, glorify myself or glorify the Giver?Galatians 5:22-23 – But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.1 Corinthians 10:31 – So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.