Monday, August 09, 2010

Touchdown

Most of you know I love football. Every year, about this time, I start to get that craving for a little bit of SEC and, in particular, University of Georgia football (about now, some of you are already preparing some "dig" at UGA. Forget it. Not changing my heart.) Anyway, thinking of football and counting the days till kick off got me thinking about, of all things, the message we heard at Ridgeview yesterday.

In football, regardless of what level of play you are watching, everyone loves to see the breakaway run or the long bomb for a touchdown. They are exciting and can change the course of a game in an instant. However, most of the scores that come in an average game are done in a much different way. They are the result of "scoring drives"--series of plays that aren't quite as flashy and tend to eat lots of time off of the clock. Games can swing on the momentum of one flashy play, but championship teams are typically the ones who can "control the clock" and drive the ball on a regular basis.

The same is true with much of what happens in our faith. We tend to be drawn to the flashy. That's why we hear testimonies of "instant life-changing" events or dramatic miracles or people coming to Christ after hearing the story of Jesus just one time.

But most events in our faith are the result of long "drives"--hours of prayer, days of discussion, and months of investment. You've heard me say it at RCC before...your job may not be to move someone over the goal line, it may be that you are just there to move them closer.

Spoken in more spiritual terms, it is our call to inch people closer to the Cross by what we say and do. Not everyone is called to be an "evangelist" but every one of us is called to do evangelism--moving people closer and closer to the cross and the day that they find Jesus. This happens through relationships. There's really no other way to do it. And, while it may not be the glamorous "long bomb" we like to see, it is a most effective way to guide people to the love of God. I'm praying for your relationships today and those opportunities God gives you to move people closer to Him.

No comments: