31I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.32If, in the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!"33Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits."34Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.
The presence of Christ and a relationship with Him can give our lives meaning. This passage reminds us that this world is not all there is - God has a future for us, with Him, in eternity. And, we are called to live our lives with a sense of that eternal purpose. We die to self and recognize that we are to make proper choices in our lives based on the faith we have in Christ. And, we also acknowledge that His righteousness working in us can give us the power to live a life of character that reflects triumph over the power of sin - not sinless perfection, mind you, because we'll slip up, but a sense of devotion to Christ and a reliance on His power.
God has a purpose for your life - you have been chosen and shaped to bring honor and glory to His name. Here are some words from 1st Peter 2:
9But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;10who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.11Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,12having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
The final BCS National Championship has come and gone - yes, it was a game for the ages; Auburn came 3 points short, but it was indeed an amazing season for the Tigers. And, I tell you, I have a feeling that coach Malzahn has a great motivating factor for next year for the team, which has quite a few players returning, to try to come back to the championship game and finish the job.
And, the final drive led by FSU's Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jameis Winston was well-executed and brought about a highly emotional finish. After the game, the redshirt freshman sensation made these comments to ESPN's Tom Rinaldi:
Through every single thing, we came our victorious. God did this. I’m so blessed. He’s so blessed. All the stuff that he handled with Ethan and he come out here and coach us? That touched me. And it’s nobody but God. It’s nobody.”If you're not familiar with who Ethan is, it is quite a story.
Ethan is Jimbo and Candi Fisher's 8-year-old son.
According to the Bleacher Report, in 2011, Ethan was diagnosed with a disease called Fanconi Anemia, a rare blood disorder that can cause bone-marrow failure, leukemia and tumors, according to Fanconi.org. The average lifespan of someone suffering from the disease is between 28 and 30 years.
“That moment will always be pivotal in our family,” Candi Fisher said of her son's diagnosis, per USA Today's Laken Litman. “I don’t think we take things for granted like we used to. We cherish a lot more.”
FA, which causes numerous problems throughout the body, causes at least one physical abnormality in 60 percent of patients. The most common among those is a short stature, as children suffering from FA often look years younger than others their age. Other conditions include learning disabilities, extra extremities and defects in heart tissues. Ethan shows no outward signs of FA. Doctors had estimated that he could need a transplant within 3 to 5 years of his diagnosis.
FA, which causes numerous problems throughout the body, causes at least one physical abnormality in 60 percent of patients. The most common among those is a short stature, as children suffering from FA often look years younger than others their age. Other conditions include learning disabilities, extra extremities and defects in heart tissues. Ethan shows no outward signs of FA. Doctors had estimated that he could need a transplant within 3 to 5 years of his diagnosis.
Jimbo says, according to CNN, “We accepted it in that God doesn’t put more on your plate than you can handle...Everybody has issues in their life and we know this is a very serious one, but life goes on. It’s not going to control us. We’re going to control it. We look at it like an opponent. We’re gonna beat it.”
He says that, "I love what I do...The more success I have, the more awareness I can bring to this disease."
He says that, "I love what I do...The more success I have, the more awareness I can bring to this disease."
Ethan is a regular fixture in the Florida State locker room, hanging with the players and coaches. CNN reports that every player has signed up for the bone-marrow donor registry.
Just a few days ago, the Tallahassee Democrat reported that Fisher, along with coach Malzahn, spoke about their faith at the FCA National Championship Breakfast in Pasadena. The award given to the outstanding Christian athlete every year is named for none other than Bobby Bowden, the legendary former FSU head coach. This year's award went to Texas A&M lineman Jake Matthews, the son of NFL Hall-of-Famer Bruce Matthews. The award is presented annually in the city of the national championship and is awarded to a student athlete that is a “faith model in the community, in the classroom and on the field.”
Bowden was on hand in LA, even though there was good reason for him not to be - he had already dropped out of at least one event scheduled in the Los Angeles area due to the death of his 23-year-old grandson Taylor Jeffery Bowden, who was killed recently in a crash in Florida's Polk County.
Just a few days ago, the Tallahassee Democrat reported that Fisher, along with coach Malzahn, spoke about their faith at the FCA National Championship Breakfast in Pasadena. The award given to the outstanding Christian athlete every year is named for none other than Bobby Bowden, the legendary former FSU head coach. This year's award went to Texas A&M lineman Jake Matthews, the son of NFL Hall-of-Famer Bruce Matthews. The award is presented annually in the city of the national championship and is awarded to a student athlete that is a “faith model in the community, in the classroom and on the field.”
Bowden was on hand in LA, even though there was good reason for him not to be - he had already dropped out of at least one event scheduled in the Los Angeles area due to the death of his 23-year-old grandson Taylor Jeffery Bowden, who was killed recently in a crash in Florida's Polk County.
“It was the toughest Christmas I’ve been to,” said Bowden. Two days before Christmas his son Terry’s offensive line coach at the University of Akron was killed in a car crash while he was on his way to Oxford, Miss. to spend Christmas.
“We all knew him well and we loved him,” Bowden said. “We went through the day before Christmas and Christmas grieving that we had lost him.”
“We all knew him well and we loved him,” Bowden said. “We went through the day before Christmas and Christmas grieving that we had lost him.”
“Then the next morning I get a call from my son that his son had been killed that morning,” Bowden said. “It killed us all.”
The man many former players look to has a source of strength, spoke of what he learned at his grandson’s funeral.
“There’s one thing about funerals,” he said. “A funeral is a wakeup call you better be ready to go.”
So, there he was, in the midst of adversity, standing and proclaiming his unshakable faith in Jesus Christ, something we've come to know and love from Coach Bowden throughout the years. And, now you know more about the faith story of Jimbo Fisher. And, of course, Auburn fans are familiar with the documented faith of Gus Malzahn.
The night before the championship game, Gus asked for the opportunity to do the pregame devotional. USA Today documents what the coach said. He encouraged his players to be devoted to their families.
"Y'all see me now, but I was a work in progress," Malzahn said. "Man, I had some idiot switch in me. I started thinking, I don't know if I like this. I've got to be doing other things. I had buddies, they were single, and I wanted to run around with them. It's just by the grace of God that the Lord slapped me in the face and said, 'Wake up.'
"I'm here to tell you if I'd have done that, I wouldn't be here today. There's no telling where I'd be. You look at my family history, my grandfather was an alcoholic, my dad was an alcoholic. … It's just by the grace of God I stuck with my family. I've got a loving wife. I've got two daughters. I'm not the best dad – I try to be – but hey, I'm there for 'em."
He also discussed the power of influence. He explained that without a father, he looked up to coaches and wanted to be like them, "and sometimes that wasn't real good." It's why, he said, he tries to be an example for his players, and doesn't cuss or drink.
The man many former players look to has a source of strength, spoke of what he learned at his grandson’s funeral.
“There’s one thing about funerals,” he said. “A funeral is a wakeup call you better be ready to go.”
So, there he was, in the midst of adversity, standing and proclaiming his unshakable faith in Jesus Christ, something we've come to know and love from Coach Bowden throughout the years. And, now you know more about the faith story of Jimbo Fisher. And, of course, Auburn fans are familiar with the documented faith of Gus Malzahn.
The night before the championship game, Gus asked for the opportunity to do the pregame devotional. USA Today documents what the coach said. He encouraged his players to be devoted to their families.
"Y'all see me now, but I was a work in progress," Malzahn said. "Man, I had some idiot switch in me. I started thinking, I don't know if I like this. I've got to be doing other things. I had buddies, they were single, and I wanted to run around with them. It's just by the grace of God that the Lord slapped me in the face and said, 'Wake up.'
"I'm here to tell you if I'd have done that, I wouldn't be here today. There's no telling where I'd be. You look at my family history, my grandfather was an alcoholic, my dad was an alcoholic. … It's just by the grace of God I stuck with my family. I've got a loving wife. I've got two daughters. I'm not the best dad – I try to be – but hey, I'm there for 'em."
He also discussed the power of influence. He explained that without a father, he looked up to coaches and wanted to be like them, "and sometimes that wasn't real good." It's why, he said, he tries to be an example for his players, and doesn't cuss or drink.
Three men who have excelled on the big stage in college football - three men of faith, three men who have handled adversity and demonstrated an unshakable faith. They can be inspirations for all of us. So, some takeaways for our lives:
1 - the way you handle adversity says a lot about your character, who you are, and it communicates your dependence on God. Jameis Winston talked about God in his postgame comments and basically said that he saw God in his coach. I think that's a great goal for all of us: to allow God to be seen in how we act, that He might be glorified, that we would make Him famous.
2 - recognize that whatever you achieve, that is just a springboard for a higher purpose. These 3 guys really get that I believe - Coach Malzahn talked about using your influence in a positive way, to become people of character. Coach Fisher spoke of his coaching success being a way to fight a potentially deadly disease. Coach Bowden obviously sees his faith as a central component of his life. These gentlemen, and other high-profile individuals, can serve as examples for us and help us to remember that God has a plan for each of us.
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