Posted on 02/07/2010 7:54:16 AM PST by Tom Hawks
Millions of Americans are getting ready to watch the Super Bowl today and like others, I'll will be watching it with my family. It does make me wonder, though, about what we are teaching our children.
Throughout history men have worshiped many false gods, and today is no different. Probably the most popular false god of modern times would be the "sports god". Think about the way we raise our children to worship this false god. We will spend more time and effort to get them involved and interested in sports then we do in teaching them the Word of God. In essence we are telling them, "this is what is really important." We will rush around with more excitement and punctuality to get them to participate in practice and the game than we ever would to get them to church, not to mention the fact that Americans are rarely so strict about our children devoting a moment of the day to devotional reading of the Bible. Fact is, most families in the US have lives that revolve around their childrens' sports programs more than their spiritual life.
Americans are spending billions on sports. Many cities have vast sport stadiums that have become the equivalent of modern cathedrals. While these edifices are large and grossly expensive, chances are most cities involved are even planning even bigger and more expensive stadiums to worship their "sports god". If aliens came from another planet to visit us they would no doubt conclude that these vast sports complexes are the primary places of worship for our metropolitan areas.
Now don't get me wrong, God does not frown upon sports. It's my belief that He invented sports as a diversion for us to pass time, get exercise, and learn to work together. However He does not want humans to replace worship for Him with worship for sports, and sports heroes.
I must admit that I have in the past allowed myself to put so much emphasis upon sports, and the NFL especially, that it dictated my very happiness at times. Many Christians get so excited about pro football that they even stop attending church and stay home on Sundays to watch their team play. The NFL has done a masterful job of replacing Sunday worship in a church with Sunday worship at home in front of the television. When you think about the fact that there is College football on Saturday, professional football on Sunday and even football on Monday night, it really doesn't leave much time for the average football fan to even think about God, let alone attend church from September to February. You could even easily suggest that in the minds of many football fans the highly paid coaches of the NFL are like high priests and the players in essence are also priests but of a lower order. As in many churches, these priests of a lower order can do no wrong as far as their congregations are concerned. True, a fan may deride the bad behavior of a player from another team, but they will make excuses for a player of their own team that may be guilty of the same sin.
This is very similar to the way congregations will defend their own priests while pointing fingers at priests from other congregations, denominations, or religions. These players who should be role models are drawing salaries in the millions of dollars, all the while too many of them display extremely poor judgment as they continue to be bad examples for the children we are raising to worship the 'sports god". Far too many of these priests have been prosecuted for various offenses, including murder. Is it any wonder the fans themselves will then display such offensive behavior that when a team wins a championship they all but burn down their own city in jubilation. Who can blame them when their own priests are guilty of many of the same types of behavior? After all, they are just emulating their role models; it makes sense that the congregation would become destructive hooligans.
Psalm 115:8 has an alarming commentary on the worship of false gods. It says:
"Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them."
In short, we are destined to become like the gods we worship. Paul told the Romans;
"Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done." Romans 1:28
It would be wise for us to look to God and His word before we decide how much of our time and allegiance we give this modern 'Sports god". We must make up our minds about who will really be our God. When Joshua stepped down as the leader of Israel, he challenged the people by declaring:
"But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 4:15
I ask you today, how will you serve the Lord? Will you be able to serve him with the enthusiasm that the pagans have in serving their gods? Can you spend more time with the One true God, then they do with theirs? Can you spend more time, money and energy on Jehovah than they do on their false gods. If not, then shame on you! When asked by a leader of the Jews what was the most important commandment of all, Jesus told him:
"'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." Mark 12:29-30
True service and true worship is giving every thought, every ounce of strength, every dream, and every desire to the worship and service of the true lover of your soul, God. True worship for God is doing what the congregation of the NFL does for their god, and that is becoming excited, really excited over Him. When we are able with God's help to accomplish this, we may find ourselves even dancing wildly before the Lord like David did when the Ark of the Covenant was brought into Jerusalem.2Samuel 6:12-14 Then the church will produce a shout of victory that far exceeds any that has ever been heard at an NFL service. Can you imagine that? Trust me, one day it will happen. In the mean time, enjoy the Super Bowl, but don't worship the game.
I pray that those who have ears to hear will hear His voice and call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen
And even if we are not replacing Him, what are the chances we may be leading our children down the path to worship another creation over the creator Himself?
Lighten up, Francis.
God and Tom landry are preparing the buffalo wings right now for tonights game.
OV has a message today about the importance of not allowing sports to become our god. Excellent message for the day considering it's SuperBowl Sunday.
He asked that I pass on to you that his wife is doing better and he and his wife thanks all who have been lifting them up to the Lord in prayer. I hope you enjoy his message as much as I did.
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I concur.
Shouldn’t you be rooting for the Saints? You know... saints? Get it? :)
Our Church is having a Souper Sunday lunch after 11:00 service. Food bank dontations are accepted. I'm sure that Pastor will call for us to pray for the Saints but I like Blonde's saintly behavior!
“Bread and circuses” It worked for the Roman emperors for quite a while. Eventually though, it was part of the collapse. Sports does provide quite a distraction for a great number of people.
I don’t really watch football, but I’ll probably watch the Super Bowl... and it doesn’t have anything to do with God or Christianity, as far as I’m concerned... and it makes no big difference, one way or another...
You might as well say that going to the lake and boating and skiing can take away from God, or that hiking in the wilderness can take away from God or watching TV can take away from God or reading books can take away from God, or going to college can take away from God — and I suppose that all those can take away from God, but the thing is — if that happens — then “anything” could have taken away from God, for that person.
It doesn’t have to do with the activity — it has to do with the person...
I don’t know. I’ll read this later after the church Super Bowl party. A day of love, laughter and communion (maybe some yelling and oh no’s thrown in there as well) with fellow church goers.
“Bread and circuses” It worked for the Roman emperors for quite a while. Eventually though, it was part of the collapse. Sports does provide quite a distraction for a great number of people.
LOL... the problem starts with the people themselves. No matter how many circuses and/or entertainment venues you have or distractions -- if there weren't problems with the people in the first place -- no amount of distractions would make a difference.
Once people themselves have gotten away from God and His Word, then you find (and the Roman Emperors found out) that they have to "entertain" the people and distract them and get them thinking about other things that don't really matter. That happens after the people have gotten away from God and His Word.
Not only a distraction, but for many a way of life; philosophy, etc., etc.
Though my first reaction was to ask where the link to The Watchtower Online is....
I understand the sentiment. Go to church....then relax and watch the superbowl.
...and rooting for the Saints? Have you WALKED Bourbon Street at all? Fat Tuesday just another random party? I don’t think they earn the “big - G” advantage just yet.
I remember when I was a kid in church, the husband of the organist always had something in his ear attached to a wire running down into his shirt. I thought for a long time that it was a hearing aid.
Then I was told that the wire goes to a transister radio, and the man wanted to catch the pre-game shows while sitting in church.
Now THAT’S focus, eh?
Let’s be real here.........if you give most Americans a beer and football game, they don’t really care about anything important. Like their freedom to choose which beer they are going to drink for next years game.
If they just gave that kind of devotion to God, imagine what America would still be like.
Yeah..., that's for sure. But, I don't think we'll ever see that day coming. We're close to the "last of the end days" of what the Bible says is coming and that's the one-world government, with the judgment of God coming upon all the nations and on the entire world, and then, the Messiah of Israel will return to earth and defeat that one-world government in a war, killing millions of people who adhere to it, and set up His own one-world government that will be here for 1,000 years, and then comes the "final judgment" -- the Great White Throne judgment of Revelation 20.
So, no..., we won't be going back (if there ever was a time) when there is such devotion to God, across the board, with all people in the nation...
Thanks for the ping Tom,
Prayers up for Mr and Mrs OV,
Good and timely message, My husband and I have both spent way too much time and effort into sports throughout my our lives. we were both athletes in college when we met. I was in girls track and he was a football player with great possibilities until he who blew out his knee in his first year. We have changed but I wish we could look back and say we spent more effort in the things God asks of us. All we can do now is look forward to what life will be like without sports being our religion.
I think about the many adults who didn’t make it their religion, but can they say the same for the way they raised their children? I fear millions of children are lost because we failed to see the signs, the signs children read from our actions. See, unlike God they can only watch us, they cannot read our hearts. So if they see us putting so much effort into a certain activity more then we do in God, well they will emulate us. Often times it’s our worst habits our children will pick up.
We very well could be leading them down the path of worshiping another creation over the creator Himself? After all, children are today watching millions of Christian parents skip church to enjoy the holiday called Super Bowl Sunday. I agree with you that if we Christians just gave the same kind of devotion to God as we do to sports, imagine what America would still be like.
A much better place I believe.
I’m glad I don’t like beer and lost interest in sports 20+ years ago.
Sports wackos (people who treat a ballgame as a religion) really annoy me to no end. There were a few in power at the PBS station I worked at for a number of years that came up with a statewide sports channel. Namely it involved working a bunch of long weekends in a production truck not built for sports and having their egos massaged. So much money was spent on high school football, baseball, other ball, and anything else involving sports it was sickening. Those guys are still there.
People tend to completely submerge their identities in pro sports, they actually come to believe they are part of the activity.
It's really almost pitiful
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