By Anna Trent
If we are honest with ourselves, how sweet a feeling it is to make a shot, to finally get playing time, to hear the treasured words of our coach say, “good job,” and our teammates give us a high five when we did something well to advance the team? Often, my first reaction is a sense of pleasure. I remember even thinking I wasn’t having a good practice until my coach acknowledged my efforts.
However, if I am also honest with myself about why I get a sense of pleasure out of those things, it is would often be because my goal is to be my own god. I am seeking glory, honor, approval, and essentially worship from all those around me.
1 John 1:2 says that “the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us…”
The eternal life described here is Jesus – He is the life that was made manifest or revealed to us in the flesh. And this passage says that Jesus was with the Father. How amazing a thought – Jesus was with God and then came to earth in the flesh to reveal God. If you believe this to be true, you must also come to realize that Jesus is God. And if Jesus is God, then we are stripped of all pretense and right to call ourselves god! Instead, we must be accountable to Him. We belong to Him. And the ultimate goal in sports becomes the glory and praise of God!
Our rebellious hearts don’t want to be subject to anyone. But when we realize that we are all accountable to God, we first realize that we are in big trouble because we see our sin and rebellion against God. We realize that He has the right to make the rules and give us punishment for our sin, physical and spiritual death and separation from Him. But, as we see later in chapter 1:9 “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Christ Jesus is the only way God’s Holy wrath doesn’t consume me, because it consumed Jesus at the cross instead. And only through repenting of sin and trusting Jesus alone for salvation can one be saved from wrath and have “fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1:4).
So, may we daily realize that we are held accountable to God. And may it lead you to the cross and seeing the only way to stand before God holy and blameless. And may that compel you to seek His glory, honor and praise, putting to death the desire to be your own god.
Questions:
- Read 1 John 1
- In competition:
- Who do you worship when you play?
- What is your first reaction when you score?
- What is your first reaction when someone steals the ball from you?
- What is your first reaction as your start to get tired?
- What is your first reaction when you don’t get to start/play?
- What is your first reaction when you mess up?
- What does 1 John 1:9 say to do when you acknowledge your sin?
