Thought for Today
Genesis 32:17 He instructed the foremost, "When Esau my brother meets you, and asks you, 'To whom do you belong? Where are you going? And whose are these ahead of you?'
Psalm 82:8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!
Romans 14:7 We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. 8 If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—
“In the life of faith, however, we’re all winners regardless of the score because our victory is born not of our own volition but of the Lord’s. Our triumph is a product of our belonging to the Creator – a belonging that transcends performance, merit, and even life itself.” (These Days, September 8, 2026)
Today’s devotional in These Days is a reflection on Paul’s words above to the church in Rome. As I read that devotional this morning, I felt that the author and the publisher should have set the type in the first 5 words in that quote in italicized boldface. For me, that qualifier is extremely important. I find the same emphasis on faith in the verse above from Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus. Remember, “Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
That devotional this morning did reflect on a trend many of us have seen in our own society, the idea that everyone is a winner. Years ago, when our own children were competing in youth sports, little league, youth soccer and youth tennis, the idea was often offered that every child on the team should receive a trophy, irrespective of the team’s record and irrespective of that child’s individual contribution. Participation = trophy.
Ironically, I read that devotional this morning immediately following my hearing on the television news about the latest news regarding the contract offered by the New England Patriots to their star cornerback, Christian Gonzalez. For any infidels living outside New England or those unbelievably unaware of football news, that new contract makes him the highest paid cornerback in professional football. In professional sports, Participation ≠ trophy (for those who have forgotten, that is the symbol for ‘not equal) nor does participation equal highest compensation.
In business, in sports, in society and in life itself, more is demanded than mere participation. I believe the same is true of salvation. The Bible is perfectly clear that everyone is a child of God. Whether we know it or not, whether we believe in God or not, we all do belong to God. Genesis 1:1 makes it perfectly clear that Creation was created by our Creator God. Reality itself is the result of God’s creative word.
As I pondered on all of this, I could not help but wonder how much a rookie-season Christian Gonzalez trading card might have increased in worth since yesterday. Not surprisingly, I have never seen trading cards for theologians, apostles, disciples or even pastors. Not even in the bookstores at either of the seminaries I attended. Other than clergy, who would be interested in a rookie-season Martin Luther, a mint-condition John Calvin? I might be willing to buy any Dietrich Bonhoeffer, but who else would be interested?
The Patriots signed a very lucrative contract with Christian Gonzalez. In my opinion, justifiably so. But, as we ponder the issue of participation verses reward, we might also want to consider the words of the Epistle of James. Neither Luther nor Calvin gave much weight to that epistle. Bonhoeffer did. James wrote, “2:17 So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.”
The answers to Jacob’s questions are that we belong to God, we are headed toward eternity, we follow in the footsteps of those ancestors-in-the-faith ahead of us. The psalmist is correct, the nations (and everything else) belong to God.
The Christian’s trophy of salvation is ‘won’ by accepting God’s gracious gift through a life-transforming faith. Christians declare our faith through how we live our lives. Merely participating in life is not enough. Christian is not a noun or an adjective, it is an action verb.
Show your faith in how you live your life, accept God’s gift, trust God,
Pastor Ray