Friday Night Lights

Flood Right, Pro Leftt 25 Cross Block, 23 Lead, QB Sneak. To a non-sports person this may sound like a bunch of gibberish but to a football fanatic (as myself) this is common everyday knowledge. Back in my "glory days" of two a day practices, sprint running, and attempting to crawl out of bed the Saturday after a game, you could have said anyone these plays and I could have told you exactly what my responsiblity was for either of these or any other play that exsisted in the Saints playbook. From the time Spring Training began, these plays were drilled in our minds to the point that when the first game roled around we were expected to know these plays like the back of our hand. Of coarse, we never made a mistake or missed a block and if you believe that last statement obviously you didn't watch us play University Christian or any of our other games. We made plenty of mistakes through our football reign! And yes, I did say reign because from my 8th grade year all the way to my senior year...that is exactly what we did. But we did make mistakes (like everyone does) but what made them stand out was in fact...the friday night lights.
Everyone could see our mistakes. If they were 'fortunate' enough to be sitting in the weight room come film day...they could even see them in HD (which didn't make things better). It seemed that no matter how many games we won or how many things we did right, the mistakes were something that were always pointed out. That is the same way that Christians are viewed. Once you pubically state that you are a Christian, the lights come on you and they aren't just on you come Friday night. Everyone immediatly begins to watch how you play the game. They watch to see if you succeed or fall just short of the goal line. And like the game of football, people will remember the defensive or offensive stand you make, or the crippling defeat that was caused by countless errors. Now understand, I am not encouraging you to live your Christian life in a box. That would completely go against scripture. But what I am saying, however sad and sobering the fact may be, that people hold Christians to a tight standard and are waiting for us to slip. Our testimony can be ruined by one mistake, as small as it may seem, and people will not forget it.
Remember those football plays I mentioned earlier? How about if that was scripture? Would it still be gibberish? If we dedicated the time and effort to intense training and conditioning that we put our bodies through in an effort to win every game to studing God's perfect game plan, would we not succeed and have a better chance at shining under the lights? The difference in the playbook we study as athelets and God's Word is that our playbook is flawed. God's Word is everlasting and has stood the test of time. It has never once been proven wrong and has caused our QB to get sacked in the back field. It's when we take the Word and try to fit it to what we want to hear that the blocks against temptation get missed and our plan is corrupted.
Now to take a different turn on the 'lights' subject. Be on the sidelines for a moment. What do you and other people see as your watching Christians play the game of life? If Christians don't care about their reputation and live life vicariously, what is happening to their testimony? Mental image time. The recievers and backs decide they don't want to carry the ball anymore and they walk off the field. One-third of the lights go out. The lineman decide they don't want to block anymore and they as well walk off the field. Now, two-thirds of the lights are off and the field is beginning to seem dark and the game is starting to look hopeless. The QB feels alone and down hearted and he too walks off the field refusing to stand alone. All the lights on the field go off. The field is now black and the crowd can't see any light. The crowd came to see the 'team' succeed, but instead are lost trying to find their way home. Image time is now over. Did you see what I saw? If the Christians of today decide the fight isn't worth fighting and their testimony isn't worth saving, what is the crowd suppose to watch for? Are we leaving them alone in the dark, lost, and trying to find their own way home? They came to see what this team was really about, but instead were turned away by that team simply refusing to fight for what they were sent to fight for. This is life! To many Christians are walking off the field and leaving the crowd hopeless and not seeing the Light that is Christ. When Christians refuse to take a stand for Christ, even if they are the only one left standing on the field, there is no one to blame but the Christians themselves. It may sound blunt, but it is the sobering truth. Yes, there are many factors that play to Christians growing in Christ and helping them to evangelize better and more proficiently, but the responsibilty of reaching out to others simply falls on the shoulders of each individual Christian. In Matthew 28, when Christ gave the Great Commision, I never once saw where only a certian number of people were supposed to live their life for Christ and share their faith while the others sat on the sidelines. When no one takes the stand, truely the game is lost.
Ok Christians, what are we gonna do? Are we gonna let the lights go out? Are we doing everything we can to win the game and continue to fight the fight? Are we pushing on the the prize of a higher calling? Dwelling in the Scriptures, God's playbook, will help us and guide us to live a life worthy of a victory. The lights are on. What are people seeing?


(by the way...salvation comes from Christ and Christ alone. In no way am I insinuating that salvation comes from works. If you have Christ in your life, your victory has already been won. But what about the people in the bleachers? These people are you kids, family, friends, coworkers....the lights are on.)