This Game is Our Religion

Hello all, just thought I'd share this devotional with y'all. Although I'm not a football fan, I know how easy it is to let something become like a god to us.

The Super Bowl is upon us; and once again we'll see just how much we love
this sport. But is it possible we love it a little too much- just as we so
with
so many other things in life? Consider a commercial last year on TV
that
described the love affair a former professional player, Lawrence
Taylor, has
with football. It could very well describe the undying love
millions of
Americans have for the sport.
The commercial is for the
video game "Blitz The League II." As players
deliver body-breaking blows to
each other, Taylor pitches this extremely violent
video game with the line:
"Every Sunday, when America goes to church, we go to
war. While they pray
for salvation, we play for survival."
As scenes of a football stadium are
shown, Taylor says, "This is our
cathedral." An image of a football is
shown: "This game is our religion." Taylor
then delivers the commercial's
final line: "And every religion has its judgement
day."
Although the
theme is football, it's not really about football at all. It's
about
replacement. Anything can become " our cathedral." The constant fight for
the Christian is to make sure that he is dead to self and that God is on the
throne of his heart. It takes daily introspection and honesty to root out
anything that is trying to take the place of God in our hearts. The key is
to
root it out before it becomes "a god", not after it's already there!
How do we do this? The answer is simple yet profound in truth. We simply
continually draw close to God an keep our hearts tender to Him.
Do you
have entertainment in your life or does it have you?

1And God spake all these words, saying, 2I am the LORD thy
God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of
bondage. 3Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4Thou shalt not make unto
thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or
that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5Thou
shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a
jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the
third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6And shewing mercy unto
thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Exodus 20:1-6

Tony Brown

Assistant Pastor

Lifeway Baptist Church

Ellettsville, IN

God's Perfect Timing

I've been wanting to do a post recently about something that I've been really struggling, but growing, in.

A while ago, there was something that I was SOOO excited
about! I had talked to my mom, and we both were praying about it. I'd think
about it a lot, but everytime I would, God would remind me of something that
was, not necessarily wrong, but wasn't right about this thing. I'd just shove
those thoughts out of my mind, and think that those things would all work
out.

No more than a couple of weeks after I had started praying, I
found out that this wasn't a possibility in my life. At least at this point. I
was really disappointed, but through talking to my mom, and praying more about
it, even more "not right" things. I also realized that this event had been
distracting me in my walk with God, and finding and following His will. At first
I had a lot of trouble accepting this but God brought me two perfect
verses:

"Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when
the desire cometh, it is a tree of life."

Proverbs 13:12

"But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I
may declare all thy works."

Psalms 73:28


Those verses have helped me to just
grow closer to God during those past months, and I've realized that even though
God said "not right now." Some day my desires, if I continue to draw close to
God and follow His will, will be granted!