Are You Playing Not to Lose?

If you watch many football games, you will likely hear a commentator discuss the perils of a prevent defense (a defense where the team with the lead is willing to give up chunks of yards because they think it gives them the best chance of winning). Some commentators will go so far as to say that the only thing a prevent defense does is prevent a team from winning. While one can certainly debate the relative strengths and limitations of the prevent defense in football, I believe God is firmly against us living life in a “prevent defense” type of mode.

God promised the Israelites that He would rescue them from Egypt and give them a “...good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey...” (Exodus 3:8). That being said, God didn't want the Israelites to just be on cruise control seeking comfort and actively demonstrating their faith in God. God gave the Israelites opportunities to grow and reveal their faith in Him. Likewise, David was anointed the future king of Israel as a young shepherd boy (1st Samuel 16:1-13), but still hat to face Goliath (1st Samuel 17) and be harassed by King Saul. Another example is Jesus' calling of Peter to be fishers of men (Matthew 4:18-20). Peter and the disciples were certainly not on a vacation cruise of the Mediterranean just listening to Jesus talk about how wonderful heaven is going to be one of these days....in fact Peter and the disciples were in for all sorts of persecution including being arrested and killed for proclaiming that Jesus is the resurrected Messiah.

While the eternal destination of all people who have accepted Christ as their Lord and Saviour is known and not in doubt, this knowledge doesn't mean that we should just live the rest of our lives seeking comfort. We are to be like John, preparing the way for Christ's return to Earth....telling all who will listen “...I am the voice of one calling in the desert, ' Make straight the way for the Lord'” (John 1:23). Let's go about life swinging for the fences and not just limping to the finish line with a prevent defense to gain temporary comfort.

Commitment to Excellence

If you follow the history of the National Football League, you are probably familiar with Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis' slogan “commitment to excellence”. The slogan seemed quite fitting back when the Raiders won 3 Super Bowls between 1976 and 1983. Now, the once proud franchise (and owner) appear to be in disarray. The team struggles to have a winning record, fires coaches on a routine basis, and is considered a laughing stock of the league.

That only happens out in the “secular” world though, right? Well, the Israelites had a proud history out being God's chosen people that were delivered from bondage and given the promised land. However, they often failed to remember why these great moments in their history occurred and focused on “their” strength (or weakness) instead of relying on God. Many Jews during Jesus' day thought they had everything figured out and wound up missing out on the Messiah, the cornerstone of our faith (Romans 9:33). Another example is Judas, one of the 12 disciples, who wound up selling out Jesus for 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 27:3-10).

Certainly, none of us are perfect and we all lose focus. Peter is a great example of this as he walked on water (Matthew 14:27-30), preached the sermon at Pentecost where 3,000 were saved (Acts 2:38-41), and was crucified upside down because he told the authorities that he was not worthy to die in the same fashion as Jesus. However, at times he lost focus chopping off a Roman soldier's ear (John 18:10), denying Christ 3 times before the crucifixion (John 18:25-27), and wanting to build altars to Moses and Elijah on the mountain instead of focusing on Christ (Mark 9:5-7).

We are told to live in “manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27). Fortunately, we are also given the truth that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). So, are you ready to live a life dedicated to Christ where others see the commitment to excellence you display?

Conversation with a Russian Cab Driver

I'll probably never forget my first cab ride to Beverly Hills. I landed at LAX for a professional meeting. I had no idea that I was about to be in for a terrific conversation when my driver picked me up. While we were going through a Jewish community, we started talking about how if someone saved our lives from being shot with a bullet (run over by a vehicle, stabbed, etc.) how thankful we would be. We would be telling all of our friends, our family, and people we didn't even know. It wouldn't matter if it was in a church, board meeting, airport, or bar. And every time we saw something that reminded us of that person it would remind us of how lucky we are to be alive.

At that point, the switch was flipped. How often do we tell people about Jesus and what He has done for us? Do other people see the joy in our lives from the Holy Spirit living inside of us? Wouldn't we want to do everything we could to show Jesus how thankful we are for His sacrifice? Someone saving me from a bullet saves me temporarily from physical death…Jesus saves our souls permanently and offers us eternal life.

One way we can show our appreciation for what Jesus has done for us is to obey God's commands. Jesus told us to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). We are also told to pray without ceasing (1st Thessalonians 5:17), and to exhibit the "be" attitudes (Matthew 5:3-10). And when Jesus was asked the greatest commandment in the Law, He stated that we should "Love the Lord your God with all your hear and with all your soul and with all your mind…Love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37-39). In other words, We have a lot to be thankful for…let's act like it.