"Out of This World" Olympics

I enjoy watching the Olympics for several reasons, which may not be the normal ones. 

Firstly it truly is REALITY TV.  The authentic joy and disappoint is at complete opposite ends of the spectrum and so genuine you can’t help but be moved by it.   You’ve got the world’s best athletes, having dedicated their lives in intense training witnessing their one shot at the title.  No pressure… :)

As I watch all these styles of athletes with all different backgrounds/countries represented, male and females I am moved to watch such diversity come together in one place.  The best of this time gathered all together to compete for the Gold. 

As I sat back and pondered this stadium full of people gathered together competing to be the best I wondered what God thought of all of this. 

Does He look upon His masterpieces of human muscle, strength, co ordination and think…”I sure knit those humans together masterfully”?  Does He look at the perseverance and the determination and think, “Yes… the beautiful minds I created, so determined and focused to compete under this pressure”?

Games, challenges, ceremonies and celebrations, have been around for ancient of days.  There is something in our human nature that delights, in witnessing or participating in such.  I believe God enjoys these things too.  He did set up 3 annual festivals (Ex 23:14-19) With the purpose of bringing people together to celebrate either remembering the good things He’s done or being thankful.  God made us in His image.  Sometimes we forget that.  We worship our bodies and our own strength as if we made ourselves.  We can admire and appreciate but turn our eyes towards the Creator of such that we would be thankful.

As I watched more of the Olympics, I was so inspired on a spiritual level.  I wondered what elite “Faith Athletes” exist for this generation if God were to chose them out of each country?   Who are the serious ones, just like these athletes, that set themselves apart from normal people to be consumed by strict training and to literally set themselves apart as they dedicate themselves to train with the die hards, competing, practicing, learning constantly to one day perform at the Olympics.

I thought of how much more serious beyond our own flesh is our spirit.  The flesh counts for nothing, but the Spirit is eternal God says. (John 6:63) So what does our spirit look like before God right now?  Do we present them, finely oiled, in the best shape they’ve been in?  Just like the athletes in their strong forms, is my spirit strong?? 

Instantly I thought of God’s words, “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.”  (1 Cor 9:24-26)

I imagined God’s spiritual Olympics.  How I long to compete for Him. How I long to aggressively pursue His training in a way that I know I will be set apart even if others don’t get it.  I want to compete so aggressively for God.  I want give Him my best.  I really do. 

Is it easy?… NO.  Are you kidding?!  These athletes over the course of years and years must chose not to give up but rather persevere even when it’s hard.  Sometimes even despite injuries.   They will lose, over and over again, but they go back and try again and eventually they are brought out to compete with the world’s best.  It is no different with our own faith journeys. 

This thought totally inspired me. 

“Lord I want to be able to present myself to you as a SERIOUS Faith Athlete that you would delight in….”  I thought how does this happen?…

1.  God’s word..”TRAIN yourself to be GODLY.  For physical training is of some value, but GODLINESS has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”  (1 Tim 4:8)

I started to think of the parallels.  These athletes had a gift/talent recognizable as something extraordinary. 

God’s true children are given a deposit of His Holy Spirit.  This seals their hearts and is a divine gift/TALENT God’s deposited for His purpose.

These gifted athletes could sit back and watch TV all their life, wasting it as they throw back potato chips or they can make a choice to go into training.  From the things they eat, the sleep they need, the lack of partying, the intense training, the extra hours needed to stay on top of schooling, the support around them, qualified coaches, etc.  They literally set themselves apart from the normal way of life.

As God’s kids we don’t belong here.  We are to be in the world but not OF it.  To set ourselves apart as this deposit of His Spirit moves us towards GODLINESS.  Step by step.  Godliness is simply GOD LIKE NESS.  We begin to fill our spirits with the best nourishment of His word and then His Spirit through us helps us to begin to apply it.  We will make mistakes constantly but we learn and add on from that.  How to speak, how to hold our tongue. to control our eyes, our lusts, our evil desires by working this gift within us to become stronger and stronger in these areas.  Cravings and evil desires no longer master or control us.  We become free and then apt to be more proactive with a power that we are given.

2.  The coaches around these athletes are the best.  They’ve been there and done it.  The athletes take their advice, teaching, correcting, to develop more.  They are often more experienced and older people teaching the younger.  Not always but often.  Interesting.

So is it with faith.  Older teach the younger.  Train them up, come alongside them and speak into their life.  Think of Paul to Timothy, Naomi to Ruth, Moses to Joshua, etc.  This is a key part to help this talent in a young inexperienced one, develop.  To inspire, encourage them, stretch them, teach them… (This even applies in Elders to a Pastoral role that is so key to a church)

Some are going to argue with me.. it’s all grace and there’s nothing we can do.  It is grace that saved us … no doubt.  Nothing we can do to earn that.  It was God’s gift to us, but now we can sit back and let that gift be wasted lying on the coach OR we can get up and chose to spend the time wisely to train ourselves to be godly and allow that gift to increase.  This shows our love to God in what He’s given us that we might live our lives in obedience now to that call.

Peter reminds us of this.  “God’s divine POWER has given us everything we need for life and GODLINESS through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  V. 5 For this reason, make every effort to add to your faith… goodness, goodness, knowledge”…etc…  2 Peter 1.3,5-8 Check out the list that is a process.  And the v. 9 says, if you increase in these they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive.” 

God reaches His hand to us but we NEED to reach for His.  He will help us as He’s given us all we need as a deposit within, but we NEED TO MAKE THAT CHOICE.  Just as every athlete we see has made a choice to go into strict training and it wasn’t just yesterday, it’s taken time.  Devoted time.

A great sadness to me is: True Christians who don’t fully understand the gift of God that is deposited in them.  He’s given you of himself!!!!  His Holy Spirit. When you begin to sense and KNOW CHRIST in you…. There’s no turning back.  It’s AWESOME.   This is mystery of Christ that Paul wrote about so much. 

This CHRIST has received the GOLD already!  HE’s won.  NOW He wants to train you to see and know all that He has accomplished.  Work with Him, devote yourself even now, submit to Coach Christ and the things of this world will grow strangely dim.  My eyes are on the prize of the Heavenly Olympics…. Beholding our CHRIST in all His glory as He crowns us with eternal life.