(27) what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. 29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.
Christ - in us - the One who will mold our character, who has shaped and will shape our lives to be honoring to Him. He calls us to live from the inside out - recognizing that because we are new creatures, Christ lives in us - we have a new life. Living from the inside out means that we will be led by the Spirit, that we will do the things that please God, and we will demonstrate to others who He is and what He has done in our lives. The only way we can live a life that glorifies God is by total dependence on Jesus Christ - and, it's more than performance and trying to do good works, it's how we go about it and how we radiate His nature.
In 1st Timothy chapter 4, the apostle Paul paints a picture of a life that is devoted to doing the will of God:
(10) we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. 11 These things command and teach. 12 Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 13 Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
Forbes has released the list of its most influential athletes. Care to guess who's #1? Could it be Lebron James, who just won the NBA's Most Valuable Player? No, he's ninth. And this was before the Bulls beat Miami last night.
How about Olympic sensation Gabby Douglas? Not even top 5 - she's 7th.
Would you believe that the top 4 are not even actively competing? That's right; the top 4 are Derek Jeter of the Yankees, who's rehabbing, runner Usain Bolt at 3, swimmer Michael Phelps - #2, and the most influential athlete, according to Forbes - wait for it, wait for it...Tim Tebow.
That's right, the unemployed former Florida Gator Heisman sensation still has a lot of pull...and just yesterday, he made news in several ways. He received an endorsement from NFL coaching great Mike Ditka, who agrees with me that Tebow could play quarterback in the NFL - he basically said a team would just have to tweak its offense to highlight Tim's skills. Could that team be the Jacksonville Jaguars? New GM David Caldwell says no, but a group of fans disagree, and put a petition on the White House's "We the People" website asking the President to get involved. Listen to this, taken from Yahoo! Sports:
...If the Jaguars sign & START Tebow, home games will be sold out, sales will spike, the team will win and the fans will be happy. Mr. Caldwell is ignoring lots of facts about the misunderstood Tim Tebow while in Denver: Passer rating of 125.6 is highest ever in Broncos postseason history. Most yards per completion (31.6) in NFL playoff history. 100.5 QB rating is best ever for a Broncos QB in his first start. Third most passing yards in a game by a Bronco rookie QB. (308, in his 2nd start), First 15+ point comeback in the final 3 minutes of an NFL game since the merger, 7 game winning drives in just 16 games!The White House has removed the petition because it violated the site's terms of service policy. So, they wanted Obama to make the Jaguars sign Tebow? I don't think you want the President getting involved in matters of sports and business - doesn't seem most Americans want him in health care, either, but that's another story.
The mystique continues - and we, as a society, love Tebow...some don't, but most still pay attention to him. There was much rejoicing when the Jets cut him last week, but he's not off the radar screen, by any means? Why? Well, I think he embodies that it's not just what you do, but it's who you are.
Character counts - we saw that last week in the Hitchcock awards...here are young people making a difference, some of them successful on the athletic field, but their lives are trending toward success of another sort - they possess a component of Christlike character and a caring spirit - and that draws people. Many of them, it appears, are involved in community service, and perhaps they are not doing it by force, but by choice. Tim Tebow is an example of this - he's a genuine nice guy, a caring person, he is a man of conviction, and he radiates the love of Christ. I think in these days of pro athletes who are not necessarily your basic role models, there's something about him that connects with many people, who are drawn to a life of meaning. This can be a challenge to all of us as Christians as we seek to live from the "inside out", allowing the character of Christ to compel other people to come to Him.
Last year, Tim was one of the featured speakers on the Chick-Fil-A Leadercast from Atlanta. This year, another stellar lineup will share leadership principles and draw business people into churches and other venues across America. Andy Stanley returns, and he'll be joined by another Olympic participant, Sanya Richards-Ross, as well as Coach K from the sports world, plus Henry Cloud and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. In the Faith Radio area, Vaughn Forest Church will be hosting.
And, you can hear Tim Tebow in person in Birmingham June 14-15 at the Gridiron Men's Conference, sponsored by Phil Waldrep Ministries - also speaking will be Chick-Fil-A head Dan Cathy, Southern Baptist President Fred Luter, and noted author and apologist Josh McDowell.
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