And also if anyone
competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the
rules. The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops.
- Be honest.
I was eight years old. The
Pittsburgh Steelers played the Denver Broncos to a 35-35 tie. I thought it was
great. I was a football fan from that point. Terry Bradshaw was my hero.
Football and baseball were my two favorite sports. I grew up a big sports fan.
Sports became a big part of my life. Through the years I noticed a disturbing
trend in sports. More and more athletes
were doing anything to succeed. More and more leagues were doing anything to
sell tickets.
The great thing about accepting
Christ as your Savior is that the rules never change. We don’t have to do
anything unethical. We just have to be honest. We need to compete for God
according to His rules. We don’t have to come up with gimmicks to get others to
come to Christ. We just need to stick to the message. It’s the same as it
always has been. Grace through faith. Honesty and integrity are important
aspects of the Christian life. The reason the world doesn’t notice a difference
is that we do not live lives that are honest. We talk about following a certain
code but we really don’t. We just end up being hypocrites. Saying one thing and
doing another. The most honest thing we can do in our lives is ask God are we
honest with You? Do we love Him? Do we live for Him? Do we tell others about
Him?
- Be hard working.
I live around forty miles southwest
of Columbus, Ohio in a rural area. Drive south on US-62 and you will find my
town. You will drive down a two lane road the whole way. Corn and bean fields
litter the landscape along the way. Every spring I notice farmers plowing, and
planting. Every fall they harvest. Sure as the sun and the moon exist this
happens every year. If the farmers neglected one of these activities they would
have no produce.
We as Christians are to be hard
working as farmers. Christianity is not some designation we fill out on some
paperwork. It is real life. We don’t stop being a Christian at conversion we
work harder. Some just want to do enough to get to heaven. That is really sad.
Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead for us. We should be willing to
return the favor but many of us are content to just do the bare minimum. I had
a friend once said that no matter what he did his wife would always love him.
His attitude was what is the least I can do for you? Many times this is how we
are in our spiritual lives. God what is the least I can do for you today? It
should be what can I do for you today?
