Often times when football teams have a big lead you see them start to slack off a little. They start playing a style of defense that helps them cover more of the field to prevent the other team from scoring. The entire game they play hard and just as they had planned for in the week leading up to the game. They studied and learned how to win, how to defeat their competitor. Then, the last quarter comes around and they have a big lead. The style of defense that they have been playing the whole game changes and it appears they put themselves on cruise control. They are just playing to end the game instead of continuing to play to win. Unfortunately for some teams, they end up losing the game. They lose because they lost focus on their goal and failed to complete their game plan.
How many times in life have we seen Christians do the same thing as a football team with a big lead?
We all have known people growing up that were amazing examples of a Christian. As kids, we looked up to these people and wanted to be just like them when we got older. Then, as we got older, it seemed that those people slowly began to fade away from Christ. Their commitment to attending worship diminished and eventually, they were barely attending a service anywhere.
When we ask these people about their faith, some answer that they have done so much for the Lord in the past that they feel that they do not have to serve in the church as much as they had in their previous years.
What happens when you put your life on cruise control? Just like the football team playing the 4th quarter and not like they had the first few quarters of the game, do we play a prevent defense with our faith? Do we live to not lose but yet we don’t do anything extra to continue to score points?
In our Christian walk, it doesn’t matter how much amazing things we have done in the past, if we don’t continue to live for Christ as He has commanded then it don’t really matter. We can do a million great things in life but if you throw in the towel at the end and quit living for Him, then you may risk your chances of winning the ultimate prize.
Only God knows who will be with Him in the end and how the end of the game will go in our Christian walk.
We need to keep serving God until the end of our life on earth and we will be able to join Him for eternity.
If you are one who loved living for Christ but has since started letting your foot off the gas, cruising to the end, you can easily put your foot back on the pedal. Get back into a congregation that encourages you to grow closer and closer to Christ. God will be waiting for you to come back.
If you are not a Christian, you can be a part of this great family too. The door is always opened and welcoming. It is up to you to want to live for Christ and spend eternity with Him.
God is Good!
30 Second Thoughts 