2016/10/14
Disclaimer: I feel the need to say that this post is geared towards Christians who have been in the faith, and might be having a hard time with their daily walk.
I love football. I love watching football, talking about football, and hearing others talk about football. Lately, there has been one show I listen to a lot of, which is called Undisputed on Fox, hosted by Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless. And one segment of Undisputed that really caught me, and give me inspiration not just as a Christian, but as a person living life.
One issue that is currently being discussed amongst them is about the attitude of certain football players, who are, by physical standard, great. They have the skills, potential, athleticism, and ability to exude greatness. But they aren't considered great because of their attitude. That's the short version, because I don't want to bore you with all the details. If you really want to hear the best part, watch the video linked in references with the following timestamp: (5:30 - 6:50).
For those who aren't interested in watching the video, here is the quote that I thought was most impact, while still being concise: "You can't be great just by showing up on Sundays. It's the little things Monday through Saturday that show greatness on the field on Sunday." - Shannon Sharpe
Today, I want to talk about greatness. But I don't want to just talk about greatness, I want to inspire the action of greatness. Everyone has the desire to be great. That is infallible fact of life. Even the laziest people I know have a desire to be great at something. Maybe some are more driven to be the best, or to prove their sense of greatness, but no matter what level of desire to have for greatness, everyone has an innate desire to be great at something.
For sports, to receive the right of passage into greatness is to enter the hall of fame. No one can deny your greatness when the league/association/sport has acknowledged that you are worthy of entering the hall of fame, whether it's for football, basketball, etc. And the equivalent to that in Christianity is to be in heaven.
When I ask you who you think of in your life for examples of people who show great faith, and then think about what do they do? Where do they show up? And especially, how do they show up?
For me, brothers and sisters of great faith share a couple of different qualities. They prayed regularly and often. They read their Bible with resolve. They cited Scripture as the source and guide of actions in their life. They showed compassion towards others, because that's what Jesus, the author of our faith showed. They did what others couldn't, or didn't want to do. And if you agree with me and believe that these are the qualities of a faithful steward, then you as well should do the same.
But to reach that pinnacle, that peak of greatness, you have to do the time. That means training every single day. Athletes work out their bodies on a daily basis. They show up to practice. They have team meetings. They go through film to know what game plan their opposition is going to come with on game day. And you should be doing the same in your faith. Doing your quiet times, having a consistent and scheduled prayer life, soaking in the Living Word, and being involved in your local church are all the same ways of being part of the “team” that is the Church.
Now before you question what I've said with, "Well now that sounds legalistic. I don't live in works righteousness model of faith" Let me counter back to you and say no it's not. It's simply obedience (Deuteronomy 11:13). God has bestowed us with the ability to do great things. Let me put it in Scriptural context.
Matthew 25 is all about greatness in faith. In verses 14-30, we have the parable of the servants who were given 5, 3, and 1 talent [which some scholars have deduced to be $1.25 million per talent. That’s a lot of money per person to be entrusted with!] respectively, and after some time, the master comes to collect his due, and the first two servants who had the greater amount doubled what they were given to start, while the last servant did nothing with the talent that was given to him. The master, in his disappointment punished him for his laziness. I believe, that if the servant had dealt with the masters money, but lost it, and admitted his loss would have been forgiven, not because of his ability, but because of his willingness to obey what his master had commanded. Although we are unaware the length of time that the master was gone, if I had to take a guess, the servants who invest the masters money and made more with it, worked their tail off every day to bring up that money to be the amount it was upon the masters return.
See, great faith is not something you cultivate by showing up on Sunday and doing your due diligence. Great faith is cultivated every day. When you get up for your quiet time. When you meditate on the law of the Lord day and night (Psalm 1). When you take your 5 talents and turn it into 10. Great faith has a way of working itself out every single day.
Coming back to the quote that I referenced from Shannon Sharpe, in the NFL, game time is Sunday. Or Thursday/Monday. Game time is the wildcard game. Game time is the NFC/AFC championship game. Game time is the Super Bowl. The chance to come up big, put up numbers and stats, and prove ourselves. The only times everyone is watching. Sometimes we treat Sunday service, retreat, Christian conferences, and in some cases, even weekly prayer meetings as our game day Sunday. The moment where we “show up.” But let me tell you, greatness [HINT HINT Jesus HINT HINT] didn’t show up only on Sunday. Greatness showed up Monday through Saturday. Greatness showed up, the moment you made the resolve to chase after greatness. So don’t wait for greatness to show up on Sunday. Show up for greatness every day. Because Jesus is great. But just because He is great, doesn’t mean you ain’t.
References: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUJDOUDMy4Y
Matthew 25: http://www.esvbible.org/Matthew+25/