SPORTS vs. GOD

"Why is it that we can jump up, throw our hands in the air, clap, yell, cheer and celebrate at a football game, but if we demonstrate the same behavior at church we are judged almost to the point of condemnation?"

If you've been in a church setting for even a little while I'm sure you've heard this question asked. Well, I don't know if I have the "right" answer, of there even is a "right" answer, but I do have an answer.

Think about this: We do not and cannot know everything we want to know about God.
However, we can, and often do know everything we want to know about our favorite players. We can learn about his strengths and weaknesses, we can find out what motivates him to be the best, we can even know how long he will be signed with a team and the amount of money he'll make during that time (thus proving the point that most guys love stats ... more about that later). All of these things are fun to know, but don't really make all that much of a difference in our lives. The fact that the Cowboys signed the best receiver in the draft doesn't mean automatic success for the team. 

That is not necessarily the case with God. The fact that He sent the Savior to the world means automatic eternal life for all those on His team. We know a lot of stats from the Bible and from the stories of people who have experienced God, but we don't know the half of it. We know that love motivates God to give us grace. We know God will be signed with His team forever and that He doesn't need money because it's all His anyway. We also know that He has already defeated sin, death, the grave, and the world. There it is; God has already won, but we never know what team will win the next game. As the old NFL saying goes, "Anything could happen on any given Sunday."

Don't get me wrong. I love sports. I love rooting for the Texas Longhorns, Dallas Cowboys, and Tennessee Titans in football, as well as the Spurs, Lakers, and Thunder in basketball, and the Rangers, Braves and Cardinals in baseball. I love rooting against the OU Sooners in any sport (sorry, Sooner fans. I still love ya!). 

The fact that I love sports, though, could be disastrous for me if I'm not careful. I could let my love of sports overwhelm my love for my wife, my family, or my God. I could end up worshipping sports instead of God. That causes me to think very carefully and make sure I keep my priorities in check.

Do you get what I'm saying? Do you understand the significance of this dilemma? What should we do about it?

What do you think about the sports vs. God debate?

Peace, Love, and the Dallas Cowboys