Thought for Today
Psalm 119:32 I run the way of your commandments, for you enlarge my understanding.
Isaiah 40:31 but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it.
Philippians 2:16 It is by your holding fast to the word of life that I can boast on the day of Christ that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
Inevitably, whenever I spend the day watching the gladiatorial games . . . er, professional sports, on television, I end up thinking about the games in which Jesus and the 12 must have competed in their leisure time. It is hard to imagine a group of healthy, young men (or women) traveling together and not engaging in some sort of recreational endeavors in their off hours.
We know from archaeology and from the written records that both the Greeks and Romans built colosseums and stadiums in their cities and colonies. Our modern Olympics are loosely based on the original Greek games. Evidence suggests that long before the Colosseum in Rome became a locale for feeding Christians to lions, it was the scene of gladiatorial competitions. We know that throughout the Greek and Roman empires there were competitions in what we would term track and field events.
I often find myself wondering, was John, assumed to be the youngest disciple, a better sprinter than his brother James? Could Peter throw a heavy stone further than his brother Andrew? Presumably, Judas was the best knife thrower. Many of the disciples were fishermen. In addition to competing with each other for the best ‘fish story,’ did they compete at skipping stones across the water?
I spent most of my life in Texas. If you ever read the book, watched the television series or saw the movie Friday Night Lights, you should know that they all were pale reflections of the real sports mania in Texas. Small town, large town, it makes no difference. And when I was growing up, there were 2 sports seasons, football and spring training. The rest of the year was merely passing time waiting for one or the other.
I am only being slightly silly when I tell folks that only 2 things separated me from being a star professional football player, size and talent. I was ridiculously small to be a lineman in high school. Our high school was the smallest school in our league. Yet, I was on the football team. Otherwise, none of the girls on the drill team would have spoken to me and I could not sit at the ‘elite’ table in the school cafeteria.
During my own lifetime, other sports have intruded into the Texas culture. Both of our children played youth soccer. Our daughter played youth tennis. Basketball has become more popular thanks to the University of Houston’s Phi Slamma Jamma team that produced Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. The Houston Astros and the Astrodome helped bring major league baseball to Texas. Given the weather throughout the state, golf at all levels thrives. But, in the end, football, and especially high school and college football, still reigns.
All of which brings me back around to my original issue, what games or contests did Jesus and disciples play? Did they race? Did they hit rocks with a stick? There must have been something! Given our world today, and the fact that when you go anywhere in our world, you will see children kicking a round ball around, I’m willing to accept the idea that maybe they played some form of soccer, which the rest of the world refers to as football.
What we do find in the Bible, however, are numerous references to running and competing. Running even becomes a metaphor for journeying down the pathway of life, especially for abiding by God’s laws and commandments. Remember, Christians were often referred to as Followers of the Way. Even the psalmist wrote of running the way of God’s commandments.
Whatever your favorite sport, whatever your favorite endeavor, use that as your own metaphor for being a successful Christian, a follower of that way. Hit a homerun, score a touchdown, make a goal in your pursuit of being a faithful follower of Jesus.
Stay safe, compete in the game of life, trust God,
Pastor Ray