Today’s Scripture Reading (December
27, 2014): 2 Corinthians 12 & 13
A couple of
weeks ago (December 14, 2014), Johnny Manziel made his first professional football
start at quarterback with the Cleveland Browns. Previously this season he had
come in to relieve the Browns starting (primary) quarterback, Brian Hoyer; but
on this day the game and the hopes and dreams of all of the Browns’ fans now
rested on his young shoulders. For those of you who do not follow American
Football, the young Manziel has been one the most polarizing figures in the
game this year. At the NFL draft last year (which is really just like a
schoolyard exercise of picking teams so that a game can be played), Manziel was
picked by some to go as high as one of the top five choices (of the 256 players
who would hear their names called on draft day), but others insisted that the
Quarterback was undraftable and should not appear on anyone’s list of the 256
players. In the end, Manziel was chosen with the 22 pick by Cleveland. So when
he walked out onto the field on December 14 to play against the rival Cincinnati
Bengals, a lot of questions still needed to be answered.
On that day,
Manziel answered absolutely none of the questions. The young quarterback had a
horrible day on the field of play. And after the game he admitted that he hasn’t
worked hard enough this year. When he found out he was going to play against Cincinnati
he worked very hard, but just for that one week. In the eyes of some football
pundits, there is absolutely no surprise here. According to these experts, Manziel
does not have the necessary character and work ethic to be in the game. But
others are a little more lenient. They do advise the young player that he needs
to work every week as if he is starting in the next game. And that he needs to
approach the game as if he was chosen last and now has to prove himself, but
they insist that if he will work, there is still a future for him in
professional football.
This is the
same advice that Paul seems to be giving to the Corinthian Church. They are to
test themselves, continually examining themselves, asking themselves the really
hard questions. They need to remember that if they are part of the faith, then
Christ is in them – and they need to reflect his nature. Above all, they need
to work every day like Christ was going to appear at the end of it, because the
reality was that Christ was appearing to the people that they came in contact
with through them. They were to be Jesus with skin on to a world that needed
his touch.
It is so
easy to forget this, to let things slide – to believe that it is not important
to get things right today, because we will always have tomorrow. But that isn’t
the truth. God has not called us to get into the game someday. The world needs
his presence now, and if we are not the ones to carry that presence into the
world, then who? If not now, then when? Our coach is calling us into the game
now – we are the starters. Are we prepared to meet the call?
Tomorrow Scripture Reading: Acts 20
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