Pastor Jerry McGhee
The Apostle Paul wrote to the believers in the ancient city of Corinth, Chapter 9, verse 25:
“Everyone who competes in the game 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.”
My youngest daughter married a young man who was, and is, the ultimate sports fan. The Cowboys, Yankees and Syracuse, where he played baseball in college, are the teams he follows and roots for whether they win or lose. My daughter was not a sports fan when she began dating Paul, but as time passed, she became almost as rabid a fan as Paul.
To help you understand just how much a fan Paul is, he has on the back wall of his garage which faces their patio six flat-screen TV sets mounted, and every Sunday, friends gather to watch the games. There is a couch, a bar with chairs and overhead heating, all for the gathering.
Sports are exciting, fascinating, and for the women who think men don’t know how to show their emotions, they only have to be present when a tied game is lost by a missed field goal.
The Apostle Paul used a lot of sports references in his letters to the churches he established. He described wrestling, boxing and runners, but even though sports are competitive, he never urged his readers to defeat the next guy. He simply wanted the followers of Jesus Christ to play by the rules, to work hard and strive to grow in their relationship with Christ.
The point of this missive is to say that the Christian life was not, and is not, intended to be a passive sitting still, but a race, active activity which, like physical exercise, is good for the heart. “Everyone who competes for the crown goes into strict training – get the crown that will last forever.”
Sun Lakes Community Church is an Interdenominational Church. Our worship service is at 9:30 a.m. each Sunday morning at the Sun Lakes Chapel, 9240 E. Sun Lakes Blvd. N. – across the street from the Sun Lakes Country Club building. For more information, call our office at 480-895-9147 or visit our website at www.sunlakescommunity church.org.
All are welcome!