Game On!

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…And be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…with gratitude in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”  Col. 3:15-17.

There is nothing more enjoyable (and frustrating) to me than watching college basketball.  I just love it!  One of the most frustrating aspects however is the constant interruption of the referees in their efforts to keep the game in balance.  In their striped shirts, they run up and down the court beside the players with their whistles on their lips.  Their goal is to keep the ebb and flow of the game fair, safe and controlled.  They operate from the sidelines with the best interest of all the players in mind.  The coaches have drilled the rules into the hearts of the players, but it is the job of the referees to remind them of these game principles.

When Paul wrote these verses above he likened the rule of Christ in our hearts to athletics, similar to a referee or umpire.   The only way that we have access to the peace of Christ ruling over our lives is to know and abide in what His playbook says.  When He calls a foul we must be obedient in His authority.  We must operate within the body of the team instead of our own individual agenda.  When His character is our dribble our game will be elevated to new levels.  We must always be grateful for every opportunity in scoring for Him, being a representative of the greatest Team that ever performed.  There will be many onlookers, some criticizing our game while others are cheering us on.

Christ is the only one who has the authority to call our game since He bore our stripes on the cross.  We must know what His word states, and allow Him to run alongside, blowing the whistle when we are stepping out of bounds.  

Game on!