What would our world look like if we spent more time caring about the things closest to God’s heart?
I live one town over from Athens, Georgia, home of the Georgia Bulldogs and the University of Georgia. Like most SEC schools, football is king here. We also have a new coach, so that’s a regular topic of conversation too. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Bulldogs as much as any other alum, but college football for some folks is almost a religion.
I recently read a very interesting interview with Peyton Manning. He openly talks about his Christian faith, when asked, but he says he prefers to share his faith in the way that he lives. He also says that he doesn’t pray about winning football games. He says he prays that there are no injuries, but that he doesn’t think God cares either way who wins the game.
Gasp! Could it be true? God doesn’t have a favorite college football team? Does He even love the Florida Gators?
We all seem to be born with the desire to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. I understand that. I’m all for cheering on my college team. I’m all for the shirts, car tags and bumper stickers. But, at what point does all of it define us?
If you were to die today and be buried in a t-shirt with words that defined your life, what would they say? Would they be your favorite sports team, or perhaps that you were a good spouse, or a good mom or dad, or maybe a good friend, or maybe that you made a lot of money?
Would they say that you followed Jesus with all of your heart? Would there be a cross somewhere on it?
If God doesn’t care about sports, what does He care about? Oh, yeah He cares about the broken and the lost, the sick and the poor, and the friendless. How much time do we spend caring about these people? Do we spend enough of our time and energy on the things that are close to God’s heart, for it to help shape and define us?
What if Christians spent more time on becoming a unified Jesus Nation? What if we put the things that are closest to God’s heart, first? What would our churches look like? What would our towns look like? What would our country look like?
I’ll bet it would be amazing. It might even be worth a try. What do you think?
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂