Well I must confess I have been a little bit lazy you guys in writing this blog entry, I had it drafted for about a week but I guess I didn’t really have a definitive theme until the other day. Anyways I have been very busy over the past while working away with the boys but I must admit like most of the world I have been a tad sucked in by the world cup. I have made sure that I get my daily goal fix as well as often cutting excursions with the boys short in order to watch matches at work, I know I’m bad.
Anyway as I watched the games and especially Argentina games it is amazing to see the obsession. Argentines love their football I mean there is no other team in the world right now only Argentina and goals are repeated 9 times every day. Everything is crazy I even received an e-mail asking me to pray for the Argentine team, that God would let them win. I thought I loved football but these guys really, really, really love football. Yet it got me thinking when you love something your just so obsessed with talking about it, focusing on it, You give your all for it.
I’ve also been amazed to see how losing makes grown men cry and the desire to win makes men crazy. I love the quotes of Maradona for the level of craziness. They may be due to years of Cocaine abuse or due to the fact that he is mental but this quote I think sums up the desire of players to win the world cup:
I have 23 wildcats prepared to leave their skins on the pitch
He might be crazy but he knows the sheer desire to win the world cup drives sporting players on to fight hard and play hard. All this really made me think and I have been reading recently a book about the chinese underground church and in particular Brother Yun. When I read this part of the book it really made me think about what I truly treasure and desire.
From that Day on I earnestly wanted a copy of my own Bible……I went home, and every morning and afternoon I ate and drank nothing. Every evening I ate just one small bowl of steamed rice. I cried like a hungry child to his heavenly Father, wanting to be filled with His word.
Extract from ”The Heavenly man” (Brother Yun)
This Chinese boy had so much drive and desire to get the word of God that he fasted at the age of 16 just so as he would get a bible. His desire and his passion was so real that nothing could stop him form striving for this bible, and no I’m not suggesting we all stop eating and fast every time we want something. Its just amazing to see a true desire for something, unlike the footballers who fight to have a golden trophy for 4 years he desired just to hold and read a bible and it was, and is , so much more valuable than anything.
As I was thinking on these things I stumbled across this video and it struck me it encouraged me I guess kind of like a Coaches Half time talk gets you motivated this got me motivated and I hope it does the same for you.
This is what we are called to be people truly desiring God not just sitting on the sidelines cheering. I know that Diego would love to be on that pitch every game, a picture speaks a thousand words, you can tell as he is directing he wants to be part of the action. Yet this sort of desire is something we are to put into our Christian lives we are to desire to live lives 100% for Christ. The video talked about olympians running for a race and Paul Washer is actually just picking up on a theme the Apostle Paul talks about over and over again in the letters he wrote. The apostle used the image of runners and their training to encourage us to strive to serve God with our all. His words in 1 Corinthians 9: 24-25 are his most potent as he says
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
He encourages us to strive for the goal to give our all for Christ and not to look to the things of the world. He shows his desire to give God his whole effort not just a part. Paul knows the importance of the race and He knows the importance of what He is sharing with people. He is not doing it for something trivial like a cup but doing it for an eternal prize. He isn’t ashamed to strive for the goal and more than that he isn’t ashamed of the truth that it isn’t his power that he is sharing. He isn’t talking about his own glory or blowing his own trumpet* but rather he strives to glorify God. His words in Romans 1: 16-17 sum it up beautifully:
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith”
I think we have to ask ourselves are we sitting on the sidelines or watching on TV or just listening in on a radio rather than getting involved. Is our relationship with God one of a support but not really part of His team happy to cheer the goals but not wanting to give Him our all. Paul makes it clear we have to give our all run hard for God, we can’t just cheer for the good Jesus did and then hope for our ticket to heaven. We have to give God our all and live by faith honoring him by our living.
I hope My world cup thoughts didn’t bore you guys too much as getting to my * point. I wanted to highlight whilst talking about trumpets how I really think Vuvuzela’s are the worst thing ever invented and don’t know why South Africa is being connected with cheap, plastic, annoying trumpets….. give me African drums any day!!!
Now back to seriousness. As of 8th of July I will be in my new project working from a new city (La Plata) and working with Vida Estudiantil or Campus Crusade doing student work. I will also be going with them on an outreach project to Valle Calchaqíes in Salta, Northern Argentina from 10th to 31st of July. I look forward to the new changes and to the new challenges that God has called me to in the next 6 months. I would also ask for your prayers for all the changes over this period.
Thanks as always for your support and prayers,
Jonathan
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