WARNING: The following words may offend you. The following statements may anger you. The following statements may wound you. The following statements may make you say, it is about time someone said this.NOTE: The disclaimer you just read is for your health benefit and for mine.
An excerpt from Andre Agassi (World Champion Tennis Player):
"I play tennis for a living even though I hate tennis, hate it with a dark and secret passion and always have." "Agassi poignantly recalls a telephone conversation with his father after winning Grand Slam title No. 1 at Wimbledon in 1992. Dad's initial reaction? "You had no business losing that fourth set," Agassi writes." "Plenty, it turns out. Excerpts of Agassi's upcoming autobiography published Wednesday by Sports Illustrated and The Times of London contain graphic depictions of his use of crystal meth, an account of how he wriggled his way out of a suspension by lying to the ATP tour after failing a 1997 drug test and the jarring contention that he always hated tennis "with a dark and secret passion" because of his overbearing father."
At this point, you may be saying, "so what is your point?". Have you ever heard of the phrase, "the devil is in the details?" I think that that is very relevant to my topic. I don't want to offend, nor do I want to tell you how to live your lives, but I hope and pray that this gives you something to think about. That being said, I want to ask you when we as a society said that it is okay to let idolatry take over our call to be disciples of Jesus Christ?
Let me put it this way. Some where in time we thought that sports, technology, television, work and your hobbies are acceptable before prioritizing God. Take sports, for instance, year round travel league clubs, sporting clubs and the hustle and bustle of "you have to do this if you want your kids to move up and be considered for the next best thing". You have to get the latest APP if you want to be in the know and relevant. You have to do this and you have to do that.
Seriously? Let's put this in perspective. I am writing this not to condemn you the reader, but to give my life a reality check. I want to have my children own my faith. I want my children to love the Lord their God with all their heart, mind, body, soul and strength. I want them to own that before anything else in their lives (gymnastics, piano, Star Wars, books, art, crafts, games, and so on). I want them to have that modeled to them by their mom and dad.
There is a book, by Randy Frazee called, "Making Room for Life' It is a good read and I would have sub-titled it, "Making Room for God". Because, at the end of our lives, does it really matter what game our child won, or whatever I did that did not include God in my service (worship)?
At the end of the day, what should really matter to us? Solomon, in all his wisdom, talks about life and our lives, "we are but a vapor." When we put things into perspective, and if we really give an honest answer, how much of our time does God really have? Be honest, do we squeeze him in for an hour on Sunday and 7 days worth of 15 minutes each day of prayer? Less then? More then?
Are you a fan or are you a follower of Jesus Christ? Revelation 3:13-15
13 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds,that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!
Are you willing to finish the race that Jesus Christ has set before you?
to be a follower!
What about you?
Thoughts?
Dante