Tonight as I was teaching with a group of teen missionaries
that are on the road with me, I was encouraging/exhorting them to lead balanced
lives that have Christ at the center. I was warning them about the “full-court press”
that life will put on them to try to get them “out of rhythm” and to commit “turnovers.”
It was things I have written about often in these devotions over the years. It was
great time of reminding them that they can fully trust in our God!
One key truth we have discussed is the fact that life and
God are not synonyms. I know it is something I have talked about before on
here. But the reality is that we all need to be reminded that life has its ups
and downs while God is constant. We need to be reminded that life at times will
drop you to your knees. I reminded them in the sessions that everyone seems
happy when they are winning but the test for us as believers is how we handle
when we are losing (because there will be days we are losing.) I reminded them of a truth we often share on
here: God is on our side and has promised to work things for good in our lives
(see Romans 8:28).
To be fully honest on here I told them that I don’t think
God cares who wins a game or makes the team… I think He is concerned with how
we handle our successes and our defeats! I think He longs for us to “exalt Him”
in the good times and the bad. In Philippians 1:20 Paul states that his goal is
for Christ to be “always…magnified”! I loved sharing my buddy’s (Coach Terry
Primm) motto he urged his college team to play by: “Playing to make God famous!”
Then I let them know that the idea here is that whether one is abundantly
successful or struggling in life… the goal is still the same: magnify Christ
more than self.
I went on to ask them about athletes they though had done
that. The group is from St Louis and immediately mentioned Albert Pujols and
then I heard Tim Tebow’s name. I discussed the impact those guys have when they
proclaim Jesus…
But let’s get real… the fame and money those guys have make
it easy to be happy and satisfied doesn’t it? Both have experienced tremendous
success. Then I thought about Tebow; he has continued to exalt Christ even when
his dreams went downhill. He has continued to exalt Christ in spite of being
talked about negatively and ridiculed….
I shared an old phrase with the youth tonight: “I don’t know
what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.” That truth gives confidence
that supersedes circumstances!
Had not planned to repeat tonight’s message for this week’s
devotion until I got home and turned on the computer. Right away I saw an
article on Tim Tebow and it was a bit surprising; he has not been in the new
mix lately… He is still working out and trying to pursue his NFL dream in spite
of all the critics. He has turned down other football offers in order to stay
the course on his dream… and has been unsuccessful so far. Yet he still exalted
Christ in the interview and even used the phrase I typed just a paragraph ago...
he knows who holds his future and thus he can be happy and content no matter
the outcome / circumstances.
The article was a great confirmation of the truths we
were discussing… God’s got our backs – trust Him!
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