Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Chuck-town Football and a "Commitment to Excellence"


The Boys of Fall are back under the stadium lights in Charleston, and this past week, the Hudsons experienced this football phenomenon.  Honestly, the night lived up to all the hype, and without a doubt, football is clearly king in Chuck-town.  That’s cool with me, because I love football, and when in Rome you do as the Romans do. 
My love for football began in the 7th grade.  Like my son, I was a giant at a young age, so the quarterback routinely handed me the football, and more times than not, I drug two or three average-sized boys into the end zone.  I was blessed to have the same football coach from 7th-12th grades.  I shared with our Charleston team this week that my football coach had a huge impact on my life.  Our coach drilled into our minds a team motto.  As we stretched before practices and games, coach always had us chant in unison the phrase, “Commitment to Excellence.”  How could three words have such a huge impact on my life?  During every game and practice, which encapsulated every drill and snap, we were to give our very best effort.

That motto has become a standard in my life, and I truly believe it is what God expects of every Christian.  In Romans 12:1 Paul wrote, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.”  Based upon the fact that God was driven by His love to send His only Son to die on the cross for our sins and realizing that we can do absolutely nothing to deserve this act of love, we are to die to our old way of life and live in a way that is holy and pleasing to Him.  The phrase “spiritual act of worship” means that it is only reasonable for us to respond to His mercy in this way.  So, it is only reasonable for us to live in a way that is holy and pleasing to God, based upon the fact that we received this great act of love which we will never deserve. 
What does it mean for you to stop living for yourself and start living your life in such a way that is holy and pleasing to Him?  Holiness is void of sin, and as we grow up in our salvation, we are to strive to become more like Him each day.  We must strive to do the right things.
 
Additionally, Paul wrote in Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord.”  Did you catch that?  We are never to give less than our best!  When I played football, my goal was to exhaust all my strength during the game, leaving it all on the field.  Someday I will breathe my last breath and say farewell to this world.  My goal is to leave it all on the field.  I want to leave you with one question.  Are you doing your very best for the Lord?

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