GO FOR THE GOLD!

Are you a fan of the Olympics? I do look forward to them coming around every couple of years. I can't really account for the fact that for two weeks I watch sports I would never consider watching at any other time.  Somehow that's what the Olympics accomplishes with me, and I suppose a lot of other people too.

I suppose one of the things that make the Olympics fascinating for me is the level of commitment from young athletes. These young people, many of them teenagers, sacrifice many of the things their peers would be pursuing, and give themselves over totally to achieving their goal. Certainly they have to be born with certain physical attributes, but I believe what separates them from the rest of us is not only their athletic gifts. It is their single minded dedication to develop what they've been given to achieve their goal. Most of us simply don't have that drive.

It strikes me that the Olympics are a metaphor, much like the parables Jesus told about the servants who were given talents of silver. Each of them had to decide what they were going to do with the talents they had been given. The story teaches us that some people, like the fellow with ten talents, will strive to make the most of what they've been given, and will become the champions.  Others start out with less but still apply themselves to accomplish the best they can with what they have. Others, like the servant with one talent, aren't really willing to put out any effort at all. That fellow ended up worse off than when he started.

Each of us has been given abilities and resources and opportunities. God has granted them to us for a purpose. He wants us to invest them in accomplishing something for His kingdom. Just like the swimmer does not excel on the gymnastics court, we won't be able to do everything with excellence. Part of our task is to discern where we are gifted and make the most of developing and using that gift. Some will become world champions and some will have more moderate accomplishments, but like the Olympic athlete we can work and train and commit ourselves to doing the very best we can with what God has given us. Or like the man in Jesus' parable, we can bury our talent and accomplish little or nothing.

Can you imagine what would happen if Christians had the same drive and commitment to use their talents as what an Olympic athlete has? The Olympian strives to stand on the podium and receive a gold medal around their neck. The Christian goal is to stand before God and have Him say, "well done". Medalists are eventually forgotten and their prizes locked in a trophy case. For the Christian the rewards of a life dedicated to God are eternal!

We will begin this fall at The Mission with "Make A Difference" Sunday. It's simply an encouragement for every Christian to identify how God has gifted them and use that gift in some way for the benefit of God's work. The truth is we all have two choices.

1.  to use our gifts with dedication and commitment and strive to do our absolute best
2. bury our talent and not really accomplish anything

I can't help but wonder what it would be like if we had more of an Olympian spirit in our churches. How would things be different if large numbers of us were truly committed and working hard to do our best for God, to receive the prize God has in store for us when we stand before Him one day?