Game Time

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (James 1:22)

I'm preparing for my fantasy football draft tonight and I couldn't be more excited for this upcoming football season. My team, the Miami Dolphins, acquired some key talent in the off season like Tyreek Hill. We also have a brand new coach, some returning superstars like Tua Tagovailoa, and a very hungry fan base. Overall, football has been on my mind. But as with anything I take interest in, I also listen for what God is speaking to me through it.

The foundation verse of this entry is James 1:22. James writes about our faith being something that cannot be expressed by words alone. He shares that if we are to live as followers of Jesus, we must not just speak and talk like Him - we must also live and act and behave and do the things He would do.

So what does this have to do with football? Let's explore...

Football (North American) is a unique sport that is arguably the most strategic and physical game in the world. The players do not play more than a dozen and a half games a year as compared to other sports where they can play for months straight, 3-5 days a week. Much of the work that a football team has to do is not on the field. They spend hours and weeks training their bodies and minds for their next game. And specifically, they prepare for each match up differently.

Coaches will lock themselves in rooms for hours studying "tape" of other teams' performance and the different plays that they run. It consumes their life as they study, learn, and develop strategies for the team to overcome and be victorious in their next outing. People love football because it's not always about who has the more talented team, but rather, who can apply what they have studied to outsmart the other guys.

If I could just take a step back for a minute though, does anyone actually care about what football teams do during the week? I know I certainly don't tune in to watch the team train or study for their upcoming matches. The Dolphins don't fill stadiums on Wednesday when their coach is modifying the team's playbook for a difficult match up. That's because without the game itself, football would be nothing. Game time is all that matters.

Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (James 2:17)

Can you imagine how ridiculous it would be for a football team to spend all week studying tape, learning how to defeat their opponent, training their bodies to get in shape for the match, and then come Sunday they do nothing. The game never happens. Rather, they high five each other after a week of studying an opponent and then they move on to the next team they need to study. But no game. Makes no sense, right?

The same is true for the Church. When believers gather to study the Bible and discuss God's plan, it should all be done with a willingness to apply it during game time. What good is learning how to love our enemies if when we are faced with the opportunity, we balk at it? We listen to sermons teaching us how to pray and meditate, but instead we spend our time binging Netflix. We read God's Word which tells us to GO OUT and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but we only share it when people come to us.

Overall, if Christianity were football, so many of us watch tape but don't play the game. I'm guilty at times! This message is as much for me as it is for everyone. Now, hear me out - following Jesus is not a competition of who is doing better and who is doing worse - forget that! The truth is a person is either following Jesus or they are not. You cannot be somewhere in the middle. If you cannot see where Jesus is going then there's a good chance you are still lost.

So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:16)

Harsh words, Shane. I know. But we need conviction from the Holy Spirit to bring about change in our lives. So as we move forward, gathering and reading God's Word together, we must remember that being a hearer of the Word is important. We increase our faith by hearing God's Word (see Romans 10:17). Likewise, football teams need to study tape to be successful. But then they must also play the game, applying what they have studied, for their efforts to counted for something. We too, as Christians, must play the game as James implies. And that goes beyond the four walls of our churches and gathering places. It goes into our homes, our neighborhoods, our gyms, our coffee bars, our schools, our workplaces and so on.

It's game time. Are you prepared and ready to take the field?