Christ Jesus is The Difference

This weekend was rivalry weekend in college football. As I watched the teams I am a fan of play today, it dawned on me that there was something I needed to share with you about God and what He expects of us. There was application in something I used to experience when I used to run up and down the gridiron.

Throughout my teenage years I played football. There were always three words I looked forward to hearing when I played. They were, “Take a knee.”

There were various reasons for “taking a knee”. The first was after an exhausting practice. The coach would call us all together and say, “Take a knee.” That usually meant that practice was winding down and the coach had something important for us to hear while we rested for a moment.

The second was before a game. Again, the coach would call us all together and say, “Take a knee.” This meant that it was time for one of us to pray for safety, guidance, and a good game. Of course, “taking a knee” required disciplined players to know exactly what was expected of them during these periods of instruction and reflection, and those expectations learned by the players were taught by the coaches.

There is a correlation between “taking a knee” in sports and “taking a knee” in a moment with God. Just as the coach called us together to rest and listen, God calls the believer to rest in and listen to Him. He expects us to “take a knee” as we pray for safety, guidance, and a good game for those around us. He then expects us to listen intently.

Just as the coach on the football team teaches his players how to get the football from point A to point B, God alone is the only one that can provide sound judgment concerning our direction in life. Without His guidance we are the “children” that Paul describes in Ephesians 4:14. We run about wildly with no specific purpose or direction in mind. We literally have no game plan. Paul calls for an intimate and disciplined understanding of Christ Jesus in the passages around verse 14 and reveals specific items that bring the believer direction.

I think that this is more than just good advice. Paul understood that believers have to grow up in Christ just as children grow to adulthood. He also understood that it takes a community to raise the fledgling believer to Christian adulthood. It takes a fully committed team. Each member must play (live) their specific role and position to the best of their God given ability, so that “each part” of the body, including the new believer, “is working properly”.

Coaches teach the disciplines of their respective sport, so that each player knows their role. They practice over and over to ensure that the actions involved in a play become a habit. They mold each player and mentor them to be a better player, sportsman, and person. Christians within the body of Christ are required to do the same.

God created a method in raising Christ following individuals to do what is required of them each and every time they are called to action. Paul expressed it in terms that can be understood by anyone who might read them in hope that they would apply them fully.  Coaches, aware of the method’s origin or not,  have found it effective and therefore use it to benefit the teams they coach. It is timeless…

A part of that method is the practice of “taking a knee”. God knows that we need a moment to catch our breath. He knows that we need to bow before Him and listen to what he has to say. He knows exactly what He needs to communicate to us as we seek His guidance, safety, and daily intervention. He calls us to “take a knee” throughout the day everyday, glorify Him, and in the process grow more knowledgeable and wiser regarding His most perfect way.