Elite Athletes

Psalm 8

 

Two weeks ago a record number of Ohio State University football players were drafted by the National Football League. Each one is an elite athlete in his own right. Each one exceled at the top of the college level and those that know talent best, believe they will excel at the next level.

 

However, not everybody that plays football has that kind of talent. In fact, most people don’t. According to the NCAA website, of the total number of NCAA student athletes playing football, only 1.9% will play professionally. Basketball is even a smaller percentage.

 

These are not very good odds. In fact, for the majority of high school athletes, they could easily feel intimidated and overwhelmed. They could feel like a miniscule nobody in an eternal universe of stars.

 

^3 “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, ⁴ what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?”             NIV

 

One of the life lessons of being on a sports team is that every player contributes; from the starters to the last player on the bench. The same is true for us as believers in Christ. Every person has an important role to play. Every person has God given talents that they are to use to share and build the Kingdom of God.

 

^5 “You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. ⁶ You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: ⁷ all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, ⁸ the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.”    NIV

 

Because God has created us in His image, we hold a position of great honor. He has

called us to serve Him with authority and responsibility.

 

In the Parable of the talents, Jesus tells the story about the master who gave talents to his three servants while he was away. To the two who invested their talents, the master responded by saying, ²³ “Well done, good and faithful servant!” But to the third servant who hid his talent he said, ²⁶ “You wicked, lazy servant.”        

 

In the world of following God, we are all elite athletes as long as we use the talents He has given us. Will you be a responsible steward of your time, talent and treasures? Will the Lord say to you on that day, “Well done, good and faithful servant”?

 

 

 

You Are a Fierce Lion and a Mighty Warrior

Luke 19:20-27

 

 

 

“The way we perceive ourselves in relation to the rest of the world plays an important role in our choices, behaviors and beliefs. Conversely, the opinions of others also impact our behavior and the way we view ourselves.”

 

This is one of the main tenants of social psychology. Basically, it is saying that we see ourselves based on our perception of how we think others see us.

 

Gideon was hiding in a winepress when the angel of the Lord came to him and said, “The Lord is with you Mighty Warrior”. Obviously, Gideon viewed himself as anything but a mighty warrior. He didn’t see himself the same way that the Lord saw him. So he hid.

 

How did the servant in today’s story see himself? Did he see himself as someone who was a capable risk taker, ready to invest his master’s money? No. He saw himself as someone meek and mild, who feared his master and who knew that if he failed it would be his ruin. So he hid.

 

When I was growing up I was afraid to try new things. I didn’t have the confidence, in large part, because my Mom, as much as she loved all of us kids, was very over-protective. What that told me was that I couldn’t do things on my own. And if I tried, I would fail. So I hid.

 

What about you? How do you perceive yourself? Is it through the eyes of others? Is it through the circumstances around you? Is it through an authority figure in your life? Do you hide or do you blossom?

 

“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’”

 

This verse in Matthew is from the parallel passage from today’s story. The master makes this statement to two of the three servants. How affirming it would have been for those servants to hear their master say this to them. They would be ready to run through a brick wall for him, because they would know that he loved them and had confidence in them and believed in them enough to trust them.

 

That’s how God sees you. Not like the servant in today’s passage, but like the kitty in the picture. And as you internalize His love for you into your heart and soul, be ready to accomplish great things for the Lord - because He sees you as a fierce lion and a Mighty Warrior.

 

 

 

You Can't Be Justs a Little Bit Pregnant

Psalm 116:12-19

 

 

In 2001, Kevin Kline starred in a movie called, “Life as a House”. After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, he decides to focus on repairing his relationships with his ex-wife and disenfranchised teenage son. He does so by recruiting them to help him rebuild his dilapidated house which sits in the middle of an upscale neighborhood. In the end, he admits that he always thought of his life as a house.

 

What are you building with your life?

 

Ray Boltz is a contemporary Christian musician. One of his songs is titled, “Thank you for Giving to the Lord”. It’s about a dream of two people visiting Heaven where person after person came up to them saying, “Thank you” for investing your life into mine. The things that this person had done were small, seemingly insignificant details of life that made a huge impact on them for eternity.

 

Who are you investing your life into?

 

Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church, is quoted as follows: “God has given you unique abilities, talents and gifts. At Saddleback Church, we say they represent a person’s SHARE – Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality and Experiences. This bundle of talents is the thing God has given you that makes you who you are and sets you apart from other people.”          

 

How are you using your SHARE to build the kingdom?

 

The psalmist asks us this question: “What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me?”  The answer is simple – all of you, everything that you have and are. He wants you to be fully committed. It’s like a woman who is pregnant. She’s not just a little bit pregnant, she is fully pregnant. She is fully committed to the child within her. It’s all or nothing.

 

In the same way, the Lord, our Father, is fully committed to us as His children. Even to the point of sacrificing His one and only son so that we might be reconciled to Him. By doing this, He has blessed us so that we might be a blessing to others.