5For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords),6yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.
How about that - so-called gods. Remember that Exodus says that we are to have no other gods before the one true God. But, what we spend our time pursing or dwelling on, or the material possessions we desire to have, can lure our hearts away from our God and in fact become gods, or idols to us. It's vital that we pursue the true God and our Lord Jesus Christ - if He is in the first place, or the first priority in our lives, He will direct us by His Spirit in setting priorities that line up with His desires for us.
+++++
In Psalm 37, we see a passage of Scripture that can inspire us in the area of setting priorities, flowing from a delight in God's presence:3Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.4Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.5Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.
The results are in - yes, Ohio State is college football's new national champion, and the game delivered both the largest audience and highest rating in cable television history, according to the website, TVByTheNumbers.com, which reports that the first three games of the new College Football Playoff format are now the top 3 most-viewed programs in cable history.
According to the site, the championship game yielded over 33 million viewers and an 18.2 US household rating. And, in the primary home markets of the two schools, the telecast delivered a 51.2 in Columbus, the No. 1 overall market, and a 37.6 in Portland, fourth overall. The top 3 markets were in Ohio: Columbus, Dayton, and Cleveland. Then it was Portland. Care to guess what the 5th-highest market was? Can you say SEC? Alabama? It was Birmingham, with 36.1. Other top metered markets include Cincinnati, another Ohio market. Then it was Jacksonville, Knoxville, Greenville, and Atlanta. Basically SEC or ACC cities.
We no doubt love our football down South. There are those that would say that college football is a religion for people in this area. But, how does the priority of sports compare to religious practice? Both LifeWay Research and the Barna Group have released studies dealing with that question.
Well, some good news from LifeWay: Most American churchgoers would rather attend church than watch their favorite football team. But a few diehard fans are willing to miss out on worship to watch a game.
About 1 in 7 churchgoers (15 percent) say they’d skip church in order to watch their favorite football team, according to a survey of almost a thousand churchgoers. More than 8 in 10 (83 percent) disagree with the statement: “I would skip a weekly worship service in order to watch my favorite football team.”
Scott McConnell, vice-president of LifeWay Research, puts it this way: “Most churchgoers put divine revelation ahead of division rivalries."
About 1 in 4 church-going men (22 percent) say they’d skip church to watch football. That drops to 1 in 10 for women churchgoers.
The Barna poll from last July of just over 1,150 people, found that more than four in 10 adults (43%) strongly agree that sports are an important part of American culture; when you factor in those who also "somewhat agree"—an additional 46% of adults—it's nearly nine out of ten Americans (89%). This comes after a 2013 survey that found that Americans believe athletes have a greater influence than any faith leaders.
By the way, American football is by and large the most popular sport that was watched by respondents - with 53% saying they watched it vs. 33% for basketball and baseball.
Clint Jenkin, a vice president at Barna Group, states, "There's a reason the apostle Paul used sport references in his epistles...Every culture that has progressed beyond subsistence has developed recreational competitions, and become passionate about them. However, American sports are unique in history when it comes to their size, scope and financial resources. The scale of American sports have been made possible by the combination of fans' disposable income and mass media such as radio, TV and now Internet."
The summary of the survey states:
But do Americans care too much about sports? Has an enjoyable pastime turned into an unhealthy obsession? When the most valuable media company in the world is ESPN; when profits from fantasy football outpace profits from real football; when the highest-paid public employee in most states is a college coach, it's a reasonable question to ask—and nearly two out of three adults (67%) believe, firmly or somewhat, that Americans place too high a priority on sports.The survey found that 69% of Christians believe that sports occupies too lofty of a place.
By the way, American football is by and large the most popular sport that was watched by respondents - with 53% saying they watched it vs. 33% for basketball and baseball.
Clint Jenkin, a vice president at Barna Group, states, "There's a reason the apostle Paul used sport references in his epistles...Every culture that has progressed beyond subsistence has developed recreational competitions, and become passionate about them. However, American sports are unique in history when it comes to their size, scope and financial resources. The scale of American sports have been made possible by the combination of fans' disposable income and mass media such as radio, TV and now Internet."
So, combine the two surveys and what do you conclude? I think we can admit that sports is important, maybe too important in our culture, but churchgoers by and large are not willing to miss worship to watch football. This data can force us to examine our priorities.
So, how important is sports to you? God desires for us to have an ordered life, and to set our priorities based on His principles. What you spend your time on reflects what's important to you. If sports is part of your viewing diet, each of us has to determine, in partnership with the Holy Spirit, what proper consumption would be. If sports is part of the participation diet for your family and becomes disruptive to your home and even your worship schedule, then perhaps that is an area that can be fine-tuned.
In our consumer-driven society, the pursuit of pleasure through sports can become a weakness for the believer in Christ. As many can testify, our entertainment dollars can be consumed quite significantly when sporting events are involved. I certainly watch my share of sports, and I think that's OK. But, we have to make sure that we are delighting in the Lord and making sure our choices honor Him.
Interesting discussion on Sports and Religion. Sports is a huge industry and very lucrative - I am sure the two can be compatible. Hope you like my post.
ReplyDeletePrivate Jet travel to Sporting Events
Key sporting events such as NBA and NHA finals create a demand for private aviation from Sports teams, individual competitors, fans [groups], celebrities and sponsors.
Benefits of private jet travel for a sporting event:
1. Flexibility: Clients travel at their own schedule – in a tight time frame. Arrive just before the event and depart immediately afterwards.
2. Proximity: Private jets have access to more airports than scheduled airlines, Smaller airports are not only easier to depart and land at but are closer to the destination.. Passengers have a faster turnaround and less congested ground connections, saving them hours of waiting.
3. Group Travel: Large groups of fans or sports teams can charter larger jets or private airliners – everyone travels together in the most efficient way. The charter cost is for the whole aircraft no matter so the cost per-head can be surprisingly cost-effective.
4. Privacy: High-profile individuals traveling to a sporting event often need to travel under tighter security to avoid attention.
We have agents in 30 countries with access to 7000 aircraft and fly to and from over 40,000 airports worldwide. Find jets from across the world in one simple step & get instant pricing & availability.
Click HERE: http://goo.gl/21fF5B