Last night the University of Florida Gators came from behind to beat the Houston Cougars, 65-63 and claim the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Trophy.
Watching sporting events often reminds me of the many similarities between the qualities necessary for athletic success that are essential for spiritual success. In fact, the apostle Paul often wrote about it using the imagery of the sports world
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1 Cor 9:24-27)
I wonder if James Naismith had lived in the first century and invented the game of basketball in Rome, would Paul have used a different metaphor? Hmm, well, maybe not. Nevertheless, consider these traits from our NCAA Final Four teams and your spiritual pursuits.
#1 Winners Possess Passion.
Over the weekend we saw four #1 teams, Auburn, Florida, Duke, and Houston play with genuine passion. With a burning desire. With a will to win. With a heart to be the best.
The apostle Paul was a spiritual champion. He said, “I run to win….I do not fight like a man beating the air!” In other words, Paul was passionate. He was purpose driven. His focus was on the Lord. He wrote in Phil. 1:23, “ I have a desire to be with Christ.” Vernon J. McGee wrote, “that the highest desire than can possess any heart is the longing to see God.” Spiritual champions possess that burning desire.
#2 Discipline is Essential for Success.
Discipline on the basketball court begins in the off season. In the weight room. In the early morning hours. In times alone in the gym shooting. In grueling scrimmages in the preseason. In focused practice before each game. In watching video of the opponent. In following the coach’s game plan.
Former Dallas Cowboys coach, Tom Landry once said, “The job of any football coach is to make men do what they don’t want to do, in order to achieve what they’ve always wanted to be.”
For the Christian who desires to excel, discipline is absolutely necessary. Without it, you cannot grow. You will not develop. And you will never mature. Paul said that a competitor goes into strict training. He beats his body. He strains. Stretches. Such discipline is not an accident. The Bible exhorts, “Train yourself to be godly” (1 Tim. 4:7) “Learn to endure hardship (Heb. 12:7). Discipline demonstrates commitment and puts feet to Christian passion to achieve success.
#3 Success requires Self-Sacrifice.
There is a price to be paid to be a winner in any sport. There are things you must give up. To be successful the athlete must forgo activities that others enjoy. The sacrifice of time to develop, prepare, and train is imperative. The athlete must say “no” to enticements that would compromise their physical effectiveness.
The Hebrew writer also used the analogy of sports by saying that you must throw off everything that hinders you. And run with endurance. What do you need to give up in order to be a spiritual champion? A bad attitude? A destructive habit? A pleasurable activity? An improper relationship? A nagging doubt? A misplaced priority? A personal right?
#4 To Achieve You Must be Persistent.
It’s interesting that both Florida and Houston came from behind in Saturday’s games to play for the championship. In fact, both were behind by double digit margins, but came back to win. Florida was behind by 12 points last night. The Cougars appeared to be in control. But the Gators never quit fighting.
Persistence is the key in every area of life, including faithful, steady, and continued progress in running the Christian race. The Bible is filled with admonitions exhorting us to keep on keeping on.
- As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. (2 Thess. 3:13).
- “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up (Gal.6:9).
- “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3:14).
It was noted by the commentators that Florida was behind for most of the game. In fact, they only led for a total of 64 seconds. This lesson serves as a vivid metaphor for facing life’s problems and challenges. Especially for Christians who must feel at times that Satan is winning. The game clock has not expired yet. The book of Revelation reminds us that God’s cause will be victorious. So keep on keeping on.
“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Cor 15:58).
–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman
ThePreachersWord 
One saintly woman I read about in my undergraduate studies in the 1990s…was Marie de L’Incarnation. She was an Ursuline Nun who came to Canada in 1639. She was a widow with a son who she left behind with relatives, to become a nun, and then when she felt called to the New World, her relatives pleaded with her not to go and even threatened to disinherit her son. Arriving in Canada, she wrote 8,000-20,000 letters. Reading some of those letters, I discovered how she trained her body rigorously so she could survive crossing the ocean from France to Canada by ship. She flagellated herself!
Well thankfully people do not do this anymore–to train for missionary work overseas. Yet, as I sit typing this letter to you dear reader, I know that I am inflicting harm on my body. I should be outside walking and enjoying the fresh air instead of slogging away inside…writing many other letters to Christians…to keep Jesus the LIGHT of the World in the World.
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