(Heb 12:1) . . . let us run with endurance the race that is set before us . . .
Watching the Olympics is a lot of fun. The best of the best against the best of the next. You get into a certain event and are glued until you see the last results and the victors receiving their hard-earned medals. You feel bad for the losers because you know they’ve been training for years and will walk away with nothing except the honor of being involved in this level of international competition. You talk about the games with your friends and you feel so involved.
But were we involved? No, we were just spectators looking through a camera at athletes competing in a far away place. We got caught up in the excitement, but we could never say we were a participant. We might of felt we were a participant but in reality we were living the experience of someone else.
That kind of sounds like a lot of Christianity today. So many who name the name of Christ are on the sidelines watching others running the race for the Lord. We seem to enjoy being a spectator from the stands and fail to realize that we could be down there involved in the game. We watch so many others doing such a great job of serving the Lord and let them do all the work.
What are the reasons we stay safe as a spectator? We get intimidated. We don’t feel gifted enough. We feel unworthy. We are wary of the discipline it will take and what we will have to give up. We don’t know how to start or what to do. And so we sit . . . and get fat . . . and miss the joy of participation. No gold, no silver, no bronze. Nothing to show for our Christianity. No fruit. No excitement of serving the Lord. Just feeling like a zero instead of a hero.
Could you imagine what would happen if we all said, “That’s it! I’m tired of being a spectator. I want to participate and not hibernate. I’m getting out of the pew and into the do!” Wow!! We would be winning this world to Jesus and taking home souls to heaven. What a life that would be for all of us. What a great feeling and what a reward there is in serving the Lord.
Hey you! Yes you!! Come on down from the seats!!! You’re a part of the team and we need your help. Let’s GO . . . and let’s do something for heaven’s sake!
Louie