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Student Ministry

Posted on October 1, 2003 ...

So far this year I have been taking in my fair share of football. Whether it’s high school, college, or professional, I love every minute of it. One of my favorite plays in football is the “long bomb” pass. The quarterback drops back and spots his receiver sprinting down the field past the defender. Then he throws the ball as far as he can, hitting his receiver in perfect stride. There’s just something beautiful about that ball, tightly spiraling high in the sky and falling perfectly into the outstretched hands of the receiver. I realize, though, that this play is only accomplished if the quarterback and receiver practice it over and over again. The timing has to be perfect. The quarterback has to know how far he can let the receiver run before he throws it. The receiver has to get past his defender and adjust to where the ball will land. It’s not an easy thing to accomplish, but when it succeeds, few things in football are prettier.

While I love watching football, and admire the precision it requires, it’s merely a form of entertainment. And yet for the sole purpose of entertaining people, football players will risk life and limb to perfect their game. They will chisel their bodies to muscular perfection so that they can perform at their peak. They will practice a play or a fundamental of the game over and over again so that they can execute it correctly. They will injure themselves, sometimes permanently, all for the sake of an oblong rubber ball wrapped in pigskin.

Can you imagine what the world would look like if Christians would seek to practice their faith the way football players practice their game? If we were as serious about our God as we can be about our entertainment this world would look drastically different. Paul said, “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” (I Timothy 4:8, NIV) Athletes show us a good example of determination and dedication but what they do carries no eternal weight. Let’s follow their example of devotion in our goal of becoming more like Christ. Let us also remember that our commitment to Him has value today, tomorrow, and forever.