The Christian AthleteSample

Christian Athletes See Sport as a Mission Field

One of my favorite verses is Acts 17:26-27. It says that God "made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us.”

I love this verse because it reminds me that God placed me where I am for a purpose. I am not an accident and the state, city, street, and address I reside in is not a result of chance.

Likewise, the Christian athlete understands that God has uniquely gifted them and uniquely placed them.

Where they are is not a mistake.

As they grow in this understanding, they look for opportunities in the locker room and on road trips to reach their teammates with the Gospel. Their teammates and coaches are part of their mission field.

And not in a way that they are viewed as projects, but as image-bearers of God desperately needing to know that God desires to be in a relationship with them.

Their sport gifts (no, I didn’t mean to type “gives”) them the opportunity to rub shoulders daily with the very people God wants them to influence. And they take advantage of it.

Why? Because the Christian athlete knows they have an identity greater than what happens on the playing field. They are an ambassador for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). This means that above all else, they are God’s representative—on a daily basis—to the people they sweat with, train with, and compete with.

Christian athlete prayer of the day:

“God, I confess that it’s so easy for me to get wrapped up in my own world that I neglect the very people you have put in my life. I confess that I am nervous about even the thought of having a spiritual conversation with a teammate. But I trust you. I know you won’t leave me hanging if I step out in faith in this area. Would you give me an ‘easy win’ this week? Would you make it incredibly easy with one of my teammates to talk about you and what you have done in my life? And when that situation comes, would you give me the words, and the courage, to talk about you? I’m nervous, but I trust you. Amen.”