Professional athletes give everything to their sport because they want to be the best. They spend their entire career trying to make it to a plateau. Their goals are making more money, becoming the best, winning championships and making it to the Hall of Fame. Professional athletes are known for what they do in sports, this is their legacy.
Christians are athletes who are in a different race; this race ultimately leads them to eternal life in heaven. Christian's are different than professional athletes in many ways. Professional athletes are born with a talent and they use this talent and try to become the best at what they do. Christian's are not born with the talent to be a Christian. Christian's make a choice to become a Christian and God accepts them as they are. This is a beautiful thing because none of us are perfect.
The race towards heaven is a tough race and it takes a whole lifetime to get there. You don't get there on your own accord; you are led to heaven by a savior. Jesus is the savior of the world and He already did most of the work for His people. He died for our sins; he defeated death and gave each Christian the opportunity to spend eternity in Heaven.
The Christian race to heaven is not easy. Christian's have to stay on a straight and narrow road to reach heaven. They are not allowed to do everything their own way, they have to swallow their pride and accomplish this race following God's rules. Like many athletes, Christian's make mistakes on this race towards heaven. God forgives these mistakes, lifts us up and renews our spirit each and every day of our lives.
There is a funny thing Jesus said to his disciples in the Bible; the first will be last and the last will be first. This Christian race towards heaven is no ordinary race. If your fellow man is down, your job as a Christian is to help him/her up and keep them in the race. If you run in front of every other Christian and try to be first, you will wind up in last place. On the other hand, if you spend all of your time helping other Christian's in the race towards heaven, you may wind up in last place, but you will be first as far as God is concerned.
Many Christian's love sports and athletes. We love watching athletes give one hundred and ten percent and ultimately receive the prize for their efforts. Many Christian's watch the Super Bowl, the World Series, MMA and other competitive sports on a daily basis. Some of us forget that Jesus was the greatest athlete the world has ever seen.
Jesus ran the race for all of us, he was perfection. Jesus defeated death, Satan and the sins of the world. He gave every ounce of his human strength to win the race for us. He wasn't selfish, He wasn't egotistical, Jesus was the greatest example of strength and love the world has ever seen. Many people see the love of Christ, but forget the strength it took to give His life upon that cross.
Professional athletes give everything to their sport because they want to be the best. They want their legacy to impress the entire world around them. Christian's are a different kind of athlete; we are running a race towards heaven. Join me and let's run this race together, let's meet in heaven where we will spend eternity with our Savior, Jesus Christ. If you need help, grab my hand and I'll help you on the way because I am your brother.
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