BIBLE BIT

Series: Do everything with all your heart

Colossians 3v23 says "whatever you do work at it with all your heart as working for the lord, not for men."

Session 3 – Can a Christian be competitive? Part 3

So is it good to be competitive? Over the last couple of weeks we have worked out that a Christian can be competitive in the way that they play their sport…as long as that competition is not where their treasure lies. In other words ‘be competitive but let it help you onwards to better and greater things.’ Jesus has said in a part of the Sermon on the Mount that ‘Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’. If you make competition your treasure it will become your heart's desire and anything that crowds out a heart that wants to glorify God is a bad thing!

So how can you be sure that the way you compete leads you on to greater and better things…a heart that seeks after God.

Let's have a look at the heart of what competition is all about. The word ‘competition’ comes from two words –

1. come/strive/wrestle

2. together

The essence of the word is to come together, to compete against each other. The focus is on doing something together, not against each other. Let's try and understand this in sporting terms. You might say, ‘of course I come together with someone/thing but I play against them.’ Yes I agree but you need that someone/thing to play against and therefore you play together. Imagine viewing your opponent as a real asset, something you can't play without. Then imagine that you needed that opponent in order to play your best, in order to make glorifying God the treasure of your heart.

Imagine turning up to every match/game/competition thinking ‘I need my opponent to make God the treasure of my heart today’ Therefore I am going to strive with them to be the best I can be for God whatever the outcome. Competition is all about striving hard together (against each other) to get the best out of each other in order to really glorify God with the gifts that he has given you!

Paul puts it brilliantly – Philippians 3v12 ‘Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me’

Compete hard this week – thank God for your opponent and work together to really glorify God with the gifts he has given you, even though your opponent might not have a clue that is what you’re trying to do!

Go well friends,

The Youth Department