Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
–1 Corinthians 9:25-27
If you’ve ever played sports, you know that nobody joins a team so he can simply sit on the sidelines. No one goes through the rigors of practice and strength conditioning so he can watch others play the game.
Sadly, so many believers today go to church just so they can sit on the sidelines and watch others who are actually in the game. Years ago, Eugene Peterson wrote a book called Run with the Horses in which he made the point,
“The puzzle is why so many people live so badly. Not so wickedly, but so inanely. Not so cruelly, but so stupidly. There is little to admire and less to imitate in the people who are prominent in our culture…. People, aimless and bored, amuse themselves with trivia and trash. If, on the other hand, we look around for what it means to be a mature, whole, blessed person, we don’t find much. These people are around, maybe as many of them as ever, but they aren’t easy to pick out.”
Do you understand what he’s saying? He’s saying that so many Christians, rather than investing their lives in those things which are worthwhile, spend their life wasting their life.
So where are you? Are you sitting on the sidelines watching others live out God’s purpose for their lives? Or are you actively involved in what God is doing here on earth. If you’re the former, it’s my prayer that you along with all believers would stand up and say, “Put me in!”
IF YOU’RE SITTING ON THE SIDELINES IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE, GET IN THE GAME AND LIVE OUT GOD’S PURPOSES FOR YOUR LIFE!
