1 Corinthians 10:31 - "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."Despite knowing that we are called to glorify God in all things, there are always areas in our lives that we try to keep for our own glory, refusing to lift them up to God for His glory. There are other areas in where the application of 1 Corinthians 10:31 isn't immediately obvious, but I think that it is our duty to think about how we can glorify God in all things and to consciously dedicate all aspects of our lives to him.
How can God be glorified in how I play basketball? I've been spending a lot of time in the gym this year, and I want to make sure that God is glorified in the many hours a week I am in the gym.
1) Play with all of my heart and never take a play off.
Colossians 3:23,24 - "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."God calls us to do everything in life for the glory of God, not for men. I am to strive to be all that God created to be. I shouldn't be lazy, slothful, or apathetic about the things I do in life, be it ministry, studies, or even basketball. There is tremendous freedom in knowing that when I play any sport, it's to the glory of God, that I don't play hard because I have something to prove or need to impress anyone, but because I want to use all of the gifts that God has given me to work up to my full potential.
2) Be a good teammate by encouraging my teammates.
Recently, my basketball confidence has been at an all-time low. Even though I shoot decently well in practice, nothing seems to go in during games, and I've also recently struggled a lot with turning the ball over. Because I usually go play basketball at around 10PM whichever day I decide to go play, I tend to play with the same group of guys. Some of these guys have been extremely encouraging to me and have been those great teammates to me, really showing love and grace to me, especially when I screw up. Not all of these guys are Christian, but it doesn't change the fact that they have modeled Christ's love to me in specific ways. If I ever was to really play basketball with Jesus (how sweet would that be?!), I don't doubt he would encourage and uplift the way that these guys in the gym have to me. In the same way, I need to imitate Christ in all things, extending the same grace to other players when they make knuckle-headed decisions or when they miss open jumpers.
3) Changing my style of play to foster a positive game environment (i.e. not being a dirty player)
Almost everyone who plays basketball with me knows that I'm kind of a dirty player. I foul a lot and use some cheap tricks to make up for my lack in size and skill. I do a lot of annoying little things that are border-line fouls that most people wouldn't call but can really impact a player's game (like "lightly touching" a player's stomach after taking a jumper and "lightly nudging" a player enough so that he goes out of bounds). Much of the way I play is an attempt to get a mental edge over my opponent. As most of you know, sports is enormously mental, and if I can get my opponent agitated, annoyed, or angry, I've won half of the battle. Players in a poor mental state make overly emotional decisions, taking bad shots (and missing good shots) or playing overly aggressive, making my job as a defender so much easier.
Unfortunately, I don't think Jesus is glorified by me being a dirty player. By no means does that mean I need to play soft or play any less aggressive, but I don't think it is God-glorifying for me to intentionally try to agitate the players I play against. Also, I really shouldn't foul players just because I know I can get away with it. Instead, I should be a person that people enjoy playing both for and against. I need to be a peacemaker, not a conflict-instigator.
Praise God for inventing sports for us to play! Let's enjoy his gift of sports and glorify him with it!
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