Everyone Gets A Trophy

As I have grown up I have learned that there are basically two ways to approach life: Play to win or Play NOT to lose. Sadly, far too many of us live our lives like a scared child in a new game that they don't completely know how to play with the end result being to simply arrive at the time of our death safe and sound. Most walk through life in what I call "passive failure." We have created a world that sustains but doesn't thrive. A world where everyone gets a trophy for showing up but in the real world and in Christ world, we can't simply show up, we have to actively be involved. But lets see what Jesus has to say about that:

“From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.”

Matthew 11:12 ESV

When I read the passage above, I find nothing even remotely passive about following Christ. Let me put this in terms that most can understand. Some of us are playing our lives like we are permanently stuck in a prevent defense in regards to our relationship with Christ when we really should be playing like we are in the shotgun no huddle offense. Some would say that faithfulness is making no mistakes and no turnovers when in reality faithfulness is scoring touchdowns for Jesus. Faithfulness has absolutely nothing to do with playing it safe or guarding home base. It has everything to do with competing in the race God has placed us in and storming the battlefield like the warriors we are intended to be. 

Have you ever watched little kids play organized basketball before? Well, I can tell you from experience, as entertaining as it is as a spectator, coaching the little angels is quite an event in its own right. No matter how much you point them in the right direction, they never quite seem to understand which end of the floor is offense and which one is defense. As a coach, you spend most of the game trying to herd cats so to speak. That memory from my kids childhood got me to thinking that maybe that is what it's like in heaven sometimes. The "great cloud of witnesses" sitting up there screaming at me telling me that I am going the wrong way or cheering for me when I make the goal God set for me. 

As a Christian, I am learning that God means for me to be on the offensive end more than the defensive. Matthew 16:18-19 tells us, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."” Gates are something that are meant to be defensive in nature. They keep things in and keep things out but they aren't used in offensive battle. God gives us the tools and the weapons to go into battle every single day on His behalf all we have to do it pick them up and learn to use them properly.

Sadly, churches today are more known for what they are against than the things they are for. It could be time for us to put on the armor of God and get ready for battle for a change. We need to raise up a generation of Christians that don't run at the site of evil. We need a generation of Christians that have the courage to compete in battle for the kingdom. Some of us are called to do battle in the spotlight while others are called to go to war in secret but the call remains the same, we are called to battle. We are all called to attack and not retreat. We aren't called to react but create. We can't accept a life lived in a defensive position. We have to actively look for opportunities to make a difference in our world. 

Want an example of playing to win? Look to the apostle Paul. He went to Athens, at the time the center of the philosophical world and went "mano a mano" with some of the greatest philosophers of all time. Paul went to war for truth in their backyard and won. We need the same mindset in our lives. Why are we scared to stand up when someone says something we know is contrary to God's word? Why do we shy away from standing the gap for those that can't stand for themselves? Instead of complaining on Facebook and Twitter about how bad the world has become why not do something to change it? Want better books for your family? Sit down and write one. Want better movies? Make it. Better music for the radio? Write it and sing it. Want a better school for your kids or grandkids? Get involved and change it. Like one of my mentors used to say, "stop shouting down the darkness and start lighting a few candles."