Did you watch Monday Night Football last night? It was a game between The Cowboys of Dallas and the Redskins of Washington.
I'm not sure if you watch football, but our family watches it quite often. It is a fun sport to watch, because it includes these really inspirational sporting actions called "touchdowns". Touchdowns are when the team with the inflated piece of leather runs or throws it across a line at the end of the field.
For some reason, when this happens, its pretty cool. Someone runs hard and gets across the line. Someone jumps and catches a pass that was thrown. Its the reason people go to football games. To see touchdowns.
Last night, the Dallas cowboys won the competition over the Redskins with a score of 18. The Redskins posted a score of 16. Here is the interesting part though- the Cowboys did not get one touchdown. All those points we received by kicking the ball through the goal posts and getting field goals.
For most football fans, it wasn't the most exciting game. Like I said, people like to see touchdowns.
Here is another component of this sport though- the goal is to have more points than the other team when the time is expired. The truth is that it doesn't really matter where the points came from, the team with the more points wins, plain and simple.
I was thinking about that this morning through the filter of Faith. Often times I think that people of faith can get discouraged if they are not "touchdown Christians". I think its easy to look at the heroes of the Faith and think that just because you never healed the sick, raised the dead, set free a nation from slavery, wrote a book of the Bible or heard God speak from a burning bush that your life doesn't matter.
That is not true. Yes there are exciting events that happened and do happen in the lives of people who follow Jesus Christ. But do not worry that you don't have any spiritual touchdowns that everyone cheers and talks about. Understand that the only thing that matters in your walk with God is to finish the race. It makes no difference if it looks pretty or if people write books about you.
I like the verse from 2 Timothy 4:7 "I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith".
Like in football, the only thing that matters is winning. If you keep the faith, you win. That is it.
Do not harp on the Cowboys today. They won. Do not be hard on yourself today. If you have Faith in Jesus Christ and you live for him that is all that matters.
Keep the faith. Finish the race.
be blessed
pastor matt
I'm your garden variety "field goal Christian." It is considered a "score" if my pride doesn't prohibit the Spirit to encourage someone through me. It would be interesting to hear some of people's field goals -- every day type stuff.
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