Kickoff Time

I had the opportunity to go to a college football game last Thursday night. At this school, they still have a prayer before the game. The prayer was offered by a local pastor who prayed a great prayer and toward the end of his prayer he thanked God that it was football season again. That part of his prayer got some “amens” from some of those around me. I appreciated the prayer and got a chuckle from the “amens.”

Indeed, it is football season again. This last weekend college football kicked off with great fury. I had the chance to watch some fun games. Here in the South, football is taken seriously. I grew up in Texas where football is king of sports. Sometimes folks forget that it is a game that teams play for fun and we watch for entertainment. It is just a game. But, football can teach us some lessons about our walk with Christ.

Here are three lessons we can learn about our spiritual lives from football…

1. Christianity is a team sport.

Football is not a whole lot of fun when you are playing by yourself. You might can throw the ball and even catch the ball, but also playing defense defeats the purpose of the whole endeavor. Football was not designed to be an individual sport. It takes a team.

Your walk with Christ is also intended to be a team sport. Your teammates are your brothers and sisters in Christ. Each Christian has a role to fulfill, a position to play.

In 1 Corinthians, Paul writes about the church: “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27, NIV).

Each one is part of the team. And, each one has a role to play. When Christians do what they are supposed to do, the team functions in the way God intended. That’s how God has designed us, to be a team together.

2. We have an opponent.

Football sets one team against another team. Since it is just a game, the opponent in football is not your enemy, just the other team that you are trying to beat. But, in your Christian life, you have a legitimate enemy who wants to destroy you.

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8, NIV).

Satan is your enemy. And he wants to totally annihilate you. Satan is not playing games. He is playing for keeps. Football is a game. Our Christian life is serious business.

3. Time is running down.

In football, the game lasts four quarters, then it is over. In life, you only have a certain number of days, then life on this earth is over. God has some things He wants to do through you while you are here. Get to it. Time is running down.

Football and life…both are now in season.