The Fist Pump Before the Finish Line

Meghan Rutledge had a comfortable lead approaching the last jump, turn, and stretch of the women’s X-Games motocross 12-lap race.   She accelerated into the jump, launched into the sky, and began pumping her fist victoriously as she sailed through the air.  Doing so caused the front of the bike to tip forward.  She then landed awkwardly, lost control, and crashed.  In the blink of an eye, three other racers passed her on the final stretch and she went from certain victory to a meager fourth place.

(See Video Here)

How heartbreaking!  As the announcers said so well, Meghan Rutledge went “from the pinnacle of joy to the depths of defeat” (ibid).  The worst part about the whole situation is that it was completely her own fault.  She let pride step in the way before she had actually achieved victory.

In 1 Kings 20:11, the king of Israel responded to his prideful enemy with a wise taunt, “Let not him who girds on his armor boast like him who takes it off.”  In other words, one should never claim victory before he has achieved it.  In battle, those who had the privilege to take their armor off were typically the victors of the war.  Meghan Rutledge was boating of victory and it ironically caused her defeat.  In this case, pride literally came before the fall (Proverbs 16:18).

Jesus said in Revelation 2:10 that those who are “faithful until death will receive the crown of life.”  These are people who finish the race and live godly lives until the end.  Some feel their place in heaven is already secured and arrogantly try to coast in with their remaining time in life (1 Corinthians 10:12).  It only takes a moment for our pride to get out of check and cause us to fall.  May we never think we have won the spiritual race before we cross the finish line. 

Let’s learn from Meghan Rutledge’s mistake.  Let’s always keep our pride in check and never celebrate any victory before we have actually achieved it.

The Fans That Missed the Victory

It was game six of the NBA finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat.  The Heat were playing at home and the Spurs were leading the series 3-2, meaning one more win would crown them as the 2013 NBA champions.  With 28 seconds left in the game, a spurs player stole a pass and got fouled at the other end.  After shooting the free throws the spurs had a 5-point lead, typically enough to secure the win.  This deficit was enough for thousands of fans to throw in the towel and try to beat the traffic.

Almost as soon as the fans stepped out of the arena, the Miami Heat sparked an amazing comeback.  With only seconds to go, the Heat dropped an incredible 3-point shot to tie the game and send it to overtime.  Meanwhile, the fans that left quickly caught wind of what was happening inside and tired to get back to their seats.  These fans were met with a team of security guards and the hard and fast rule marked with big read letters, “No re-entry allowed.”

The Heat went on to win the game 103-100 in overtime.  Players, coaches, and broadcasters all shared the view that this was one of the greatest and most exciting games.  As for the fans that decided to leave early, they missed this great victory.

In Matthew 25:1-13, Jesus told a parable with surprising parallels to this game.  The parable is about ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Five of the virgins came prepared with enough oil and five did not.  The virgins who did not have enough oil had to leave early to go buy more.  While they were gone, the bridegroom came and let the prepared virgins in and closed the door.  When the unprepared virgins came back they begged to get in but it was too late.  The point of the parable was to warn people to be ready for Christ’s return because

In both of these situations, people missed out on the celebration because of poor choices.  As Christians, we want to stand in victory with the Lord.  Therefore, let’s remember two lessons from these situations.

1. Always Be Prepared.  We don’t know what the future holds (even in silly basketball games).  Depending on which comes first, Jesus or death, many people will be caught off guard (Matthew 25:13; 24:42, 44).  We must always be prepared.

2. Never Leave Early.  Don’t leave the faith.  Only those who are faithful until the end will receive the crown of victory (Revelation 2:10).

Let’s not be among those who miss out on the victory because we left early or because we weren’t prepared.

Lashing Out!

It looked like your average Indoor Football League touchdown.  At the goal line the ball was handed to running back R.J. Rollins.  After scoring, Rollins began running over to his sideline.  Dave Brumagen, the opposing team’s coach, ran across the field to Rollins and viciously shoved him to the ground (Watch Here).

It is still unclear what drove Brumagen to attack Rollins.  It could be that he just didn’t like Rollins.  Maybe Rollins did something to anger Brumagen in the past.  It’s possible that Brumagen had been building anger against Rollins for some time.  No matter the reason, the coach clearly reached his breaking point and lashed out in childish anger.

Hopefully we never let our anger reach the point where we physically attack someone.  However, people often hold grudges and let negative feelings boil up inside.  The longer we hold on to these feelings, the more our anger and hatred can grow until we end up lashing out.

Sadly, our world often seems to turn a blind eye to anger.  Perhaps this is partly why anger is called a “work of the flesh” (Galatians 5:19-20).  In Brumagen’s case, he received a little slap on the wrist in the form of a $500 fine and a 4 game suspension.  As Christians, we are called to a higher standard in regard to anger.  Jesus showed us different levels of sinful anger (Matthew 5:22-24).  Scripture elsewhere tells us to get rid of anger in our lives (Colossians 3:8; Ephesians 4:31-32).  We are also told not to be angry in a sinful way and not even “let the sun go down on our anger” (Ephesians 4:26).

To put it simply, we need to quickly take care of any anger and quarrels we have with others.  If not, it could lead to a multitude of other sins.  Let’s not be a people of anger, but instead be the exact opposite.  Let’s be people of patience, kindness, forgiveness, and even people who give “gentle answers” to turn away wrath in others (Proverbs 15:1).

Cheating is Cheating

Lance Armstrong is one of the most polarizing figures in sports.  He made cycling more popular and interesting than it had ever been before.  He won the Tour de France a record setting seven consecutive times.  He battled and overcame stage-three cancer that had spread to his abdomen, lungs, and brain.  He also founded the Lance Armstrong Foundation, LiveStrong, which has raised almost half a billion dollars to support people with cancer and also provides great information on health and exercise.  Lance became a worldwide figure of inspiration, determination, success, and an all-around “good guy,” until now.  In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Lance admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs in all of his Tour de France victories and almost his entire professional career.

One of the most disturbing parts of the interview with Oprah was when Lance admitted that, while doping, he didn’t feel wrong, or bad, and didn’t even consider it cheating.  In an attempt to convince himself, he said, “I went and looked up the definition of cheat.  And the definition is to gain an advantage on a rival or foe.  I didn't view it that way.  I viewed it as a level playing field” (Fox News).  The reason he viewed it this way is because using performance-enhancing drugs is an astonishingly common part of professional cycling.  Wikipedia has an entire page dedicated to cycling doping cases with hundreds of instances dating all the back to 1886 (Wikipedia).

For this reason, many have defended Lance’s actions.  They claim his actions were acceptable since so many cyclists are doing the same thing and gaining the same advantage.  They make the argument that no cyclists could win in today’s competitions without using the same drugs as everyone else.  In other words, it isn’t really cheating if everyone is doing it.  Are they right?  Does Lance’s definition of “cheat” validate his actions?

Let’s look at the definitions of the word “cheat” and compare them to Lance Armstrong’s situation (Merriam-Webster):

• “To deprive of something valuable by the use of deceit or fraud.”  Lance took seven valuable Tour de France titles, not to mention other victories, and millions of dollars in prize money through deceit and fraud.
• “To influence or lead by deceit, trick, or artifice.”  Lance lead, deceived, and tricked people into believing he was drug-free when he wasn’t.
• “To practice fraud or trickery.”  Not only did he use the drugs, but he also lied and misled people about it for years afterwards.
• “To violate rules dishonestly.”  Using the performance-enhancing drugs Armstrong did is against cycling rules and regulations.

It is clear Lance Armstrong cheated.  The fact that many other cyclists were doing the same thing does not justify his actions or make it anything other than cheating.  It just means many others were cheating as well.  Armstrong stated in the interview with Oprah that his intentions were “to win at all costs.”  This is not the attitude of a person who is just trying to level the playing field.  Thankfully, Lance has now admitted his actions were wrong, but the damage is already done.

Lance cheated, but is cheating wrong?  What does Scripture say about all of this?

• God wants us to be “[people] of truth, and those who hate dishonest gain” (Exodus 18:21; 1 Timothy 3:8; Titus 1:7).  Cheating is certainly a means of dishonest and sordid gain.
• God condemns people who lie, trick, and deceive (Proverbs 6:16-19; Colossians 3:9; Ephesians 4:25; Proverbs 12:22; 2 Timothy 3:13).  Cheating practices all of these.
• God rebukes those who steal (Ephesians 4:28; Matthew 19:18).  Stealing is not limited to physical objects; we can also steal advantages, answers, and ideas.  This is simply another way to cheat others.

Cheating is cheating.  Wrong is wrong.  It doesn’t matter if it is on a test, a term paper, a report, a High School football game, or even the Tour de France; cheating is wrong.  Our culture models a “win at all costs” attitude, but God calls for us to be fair and honest.  The next time an opportunity comes around where we could cheat, let’s choose to do what is true, honest, fair, and right instead.

NFL’s Replacement Officials

 

 

The replacement officials in the NFL have just been awful this year.  For those who don’t know, this entire controversy started when the NFL and the normal officiating crew couldn’t come to a contract agreement.  As a result, the normal referees basically went on strike until the NFL gave them better terms (which is still pending).  Who knows how long this will last, but until it is fixed, one can only see more of the same bad calls in the future.  While no referee is ever going to be perfect, this year’s officiating has become both comedic and out of control.  For example:

• Officials have lost control in at least two games and fights broke out (the Denver-Atlanta and Baltimore-Philadelphia games).
• An official pleaded with LeSean McCoy during the game to play better because he had him on his “Fantasy Football team.”
• 3 crucial calls were proven wrong and overturned just in the first half of the Denver-Atlanta game.
• Officials stopped the clock twice for the once occurring “2-mintue warning.”
• One team was granted a 4^th timeout (each team only has 3).
• Officials have taken very long to figure out penalties and simple procedures (like the placement of the ball).
• Some players have been flagged for doing absolutely nothing wrong.
• Extra yards have been mistakenly awarded during penalties.
• There has been an abnormally high amount of missed calls and miss-applied rulings.

Almost all of the problems with the replacement officials can be chalked up to one problem: they don’t know the rulebook!  If they knew the rules there would be less fights, no untactful comments, less time making decisions, more correct calls, and much better officiating overall.

So, what does all of this have to do with spiritual life?  In a similar way, we too must know the spiritual rulebook.  We have had the Bible for about 2,000 years.  Most households have several Bibles lying around.  Reading God’s word is legal and can be done without persecution.  Despite all its ease and availability, people still don’t know God’s rules.  There is no excuse for us not to know God’s commands.  Far too many Christians who should know God’s rulebook inside and out are walking around like the NFL’s replacement officials.  As a result, false teaching, division, bad judgment, unscriptural decisions, controversy, and a host of other problems occur.

Jesus clearly stated in John 12:48, “He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.”  It would greatly behoove us to know God’s rules.  Let’s make sure we are spending time reading and studying God’s official rulebook for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).