Playing on the best team

David Beckham, soccer superstar, played in our city last night. I’m a soccer fan so this was a must-see game.

As our newspaper reported this morning, Beckham is not one of those spectacular players who dashes about the pitch making impossible plays and scoring when no one else can. In fact, those who know little about soccer may have been disappointed watching him play.

However, he is an amazing team player who knows how to manage a soccer ball. We saw him catch high flyers with his instep and kick them to teammates in a better position. We saw him run toward several defenders and fool them by looking straight at them yet pass the ball 90 degrees sideways to a teammate; his aim always perfect. We also saw a corner kick done in the style that created the line, “Bend it like Beckham.” Perhaps the most enjoyable was watching him play without wasting any movements, moving here and there with seemingly little effort yet getting the job done.

This morning I thought about how Christians could tear a page out of this soccer player’s book. I could be a better team player, letting go of the ball when someone else is better equipped and in better position to run with it. I could develop the skills that I have, not try to do and be everything. I could pay more attention to the Lord and do only what He asks and making every action count, instead of trying to fill every second of my life with ‘meaningful’ activity.

Of course Beckham is nice to look at. Many female fans painted their faces in team colors, wore Beckham jerseys, and carried signs with “I love Beckham” boldly painted. While he seemed unaffected by that sort of attention, he did acknowledge the crowd with almost a bashful appreciation. After all, most of them were there to see him.

Today my devotional is remotely related to this experience. It is from 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

The context of this verse is a warning about sexual immorality. Stars like Beckham are no doubt tempted every day by swarms of adoring fans, but ordinary people are tempted too. God knows the world we live in and nothing could be more relevant for His people than this reminder that we belong to Him. We cannot get involved in the sexual ‘freedoms’ that are blatantly practiced all around us. Our bodies and our souls are important to God and holy.

There are other issues here too. The text isn’t about eating and drinking, but sidling up to the buffet table at the church supper can be a temptation also. Christians who boast that they neither drink (booze) nor smoke, might eat far more than their bodies need. My body is a temple for the Holy Spirit and I’m certain that He is not glorified when I abuse my own health by overeating and ignoring good nutrition.

The reading for today also makes a few points about these verses. It reminds me of two things. The first is that I will serve someone. If God is not my master, the devil will be. If grace does not rule, sin will. If Christ is not my all in all, the world will be. I might think I am serving myself, but that is never true. At any given moment, I’m playing for one team or the other.

The second is that “there is more real pleasure, satisfaction, and happiness in half an hour with God, in sweet union and communion with the Lord of life and glory, in reading His word with a believing heart, in finding access to His sacred presence, in knowing something of the droppings in of His favor and mercy . . . and spent in the real service of God . . . than in all the delights of sin, all the lusts of the flesh, all the pride of life, and all the amusements that the world has ever devised . . .” It’s taken years to realized it, but I agree.

Also, my body isn’t much. I’d loved to have played soccer when I was younger, but I know I’d never command several million dollars from the LA Galaxy or any other ball team. Yet, by the Word of God and by obeying Him, I can glorify God with my body. Me. Me with the least athletic ability. Me with such an average body. I can glorify God with what I have, even though it is not much. God says so! No disrespect intended, but that is far more amazing than whatever can be done by any multimillion dollar soccer super star!

(photo from Edmonton Journal)