"You Can Know God"

Much like an elite athlete, Paul, the writer of these verses, had devoted his life to training. He had put in the hard work and long hours so he could know all of the right religious answers. He had worked with one of the best coaches and had received recognition for his skill. If anyone could be confident because of what he had accomplished, it was Paul.

But just like the accomplishments of the Olympians we’ve met this month, Paul’s accolades are worthless in comparison to his relationship with Jesus. No medal, no award, no achievement can come close to the satisfaction and acceptance that is found in Christ. Next to knowing Christ, Paul writes, things like medals look like garbage. That’s how good a relationship with Jesus is — the most valuable things in our lives can’t even begin to compare!

God loves us and created us to be in a wonderful relationship with Him. But because of our stubbornness, we chose to do things our own way and this relationship with Him was broken. Because of our sin, or our attitudes of active rebellion or passive indifference toward Him, we are separated from God who is perfect and holy.

Apart from Jesus, we are unable to attain true victory. On our own strength, we can never achieve the perfection that is necessary to be right with God. No matter how hard we work, how much we train or how many medals we win, we can’t bridge the gulf that separates us from God on our own; we are deserving of death, spiritual separation from God.

But, God made a way for us to be made perfect and right in His eyes—He sent His Son, Jesus. Jesus took the punishment we deserved for our sin and gave His life for us on the cross. But that’s not the end of story; Jesus rose from the grave, triumphing over sin and death!

Because of what Jesus has done on our behalf, we can have a personal relationship with the God of the universe. In faith, we can choose to follow Jesus and experience His love and grace. We can experience triumph over sin as He gives us His strength.

Questions: Do you know God personally, or do you just know about Him? What obstacles prevent you from placing your faith in Jesus today?

Prayer: God, if it’s possible to have a relationship with You, then I want to know You. Help me see what may be keeping me from knowing You personally and experiencing Your love. I don’t want to just believe what other people say is true about You, but I want to know who You really are and follow Your plan for my life.

Conclusion

In the book of James it talks about how God uses the trials of life to teach life lessons. We need daily reminders that God uses these life lessons to build our trust in Him. Athletes face a lot of trials — and so do you. Praying for Athletes (and yourself along the way) is a great way to increase your trust in Him.

Next Steps

Athletes in Action has other plans dealing with sports. You can use those plans to see other life lessons that will help you see the Bible in a different way. You can find those plans on the AIA Connection page in the Bible App.

Take Action

Pray for Five is an exciting prayer strategy focus to pray for athletes. We invite you to get your list of five individuals to pray for. Come introduce yourself and join the prayer team at the "Pray for Five" website.