The Biggest Stage - a Platform for God's Purpose

We have each been called and chosen by God in order that we might know His love and express that love to the world around us.  In Colossians 1, we read:
21And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled22in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight--23if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.

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The Bible reminds us in 1st Peter chapter 2 that God has raised each of us up as believers in Jesus Christ to testify to His greatness.  We can read, beginning in verse 9:
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.
With that mindset - having been called out of darkness into His light - we can think about how God desires to display His glory through us.

That appears to be the mindset of some of those who will be participating in the Super Bowl this Sunday.  A Baptist Press piece highlights the faith displayed by members of the New England Patriots.

Four-time Pro Bowler, special-teams star Matthew Slater acknowledged the recent controversy over deflated footballs and negative media attention was "unfortunate." But he noted his faith helps him keep a positive outlook.

He said, "Football is temporary...It's going to be over for all of us at some point. But I think when you look at a relationship with Jesus you understand you're living for eternity and if you can't get excited about that, I don't know what you can get excited about."

Devin McCourty, the Patriots' starting free safety, who has also played in a Pro Bowl, said striving to be "rooted" in God's Word and his Christian faith gives him a "great foundation" to lean on daily. Playing in the NFL or in a Super Bowl shouldn't define a person, he said.   He said, "It's a blessing.... It's a great opportunity ... [to] take advantage of the opportunity but still know who you are as a person."

Then there's a piece on the Gospel Coalition website featuring Seahawks assistant coach Rocky Seto.

In an interview for that website, Rocky asked, "Could we emphasize that Jesus is better than anything this world has to offer and that he is the greatest treasure in the entire universe?” He added, “Jesus is better than the Super Bowl.”

Seto worked with Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll at Southern Cal, but Carroll did not hire Seto to come to Seattle.  After he was let go by SC, Carroll offered him an entry-level position as quality control coach.

Seto said, “That really bothered me,” adding. “I was thinking to myself, How come I wasn’t brought up originally? And in my mind, I went from my dream job to what I used to do 10 years ago.”

He wanted to decline the offer, but hours of prayer helped humble him. He accepted.  A week later, his father-in-law, who lived in Seattle, suffered kidney failure.

The piece points out that if Seto had declined, he and his wife would not have been by his father-in-law’s side during the next several years of dialysis treatment.  Seto would also not have helped introduce a tackling technique to football last year that he and Carroll believe will significantly decrease concussions—an innovation they believe will be their greatest contribution to the sport. And this Sunday, Seto would not have a chance to win his fourth championship.

Seto said "If it was up to me...I wouldn’t have chosen to leave SC and come up here, but God knows better."

He relates that, “You can see how the Seahawks provide identity for so many people. What’s cool is that God has opened up a platform through winning to talk about Jesus Christ, the greatest treasure of all. Why do we want to win? I know the brothers on the team, they want to win to glorify God and tell more people about Jesus Christ.”

There are some great lessons for each of us as we think about those who have been called to be part of what I would say is easily the most-viewed sporting event of the year.  For one thing, these individuals have certainly been given a platform to spread the light of Christ.  Through the game of football and the way they conduct themselves on and off the field, they show that they know Christ and are serving Him.

We can also reflect on the hand of a sovereign God, who works according to His purpose.  The specifics of that platform are determined by the Lord, who places us in certain situations so that He might work through us by His power.  There may be places where He has ordained for us to be or people whom He has called us to be with.   As we submit to the guiding hand of the Lord, we can trust in Him to work mightily according to His will.

And, we can also recognize the importance of the priorities that these aforementioned people have set.  As the coach said, "Jesus is better than the Super Bowl" - you can fill in the blank for whatever applies to you.  The fact of the matter is that if we place Him as the first priority of our lives, if we seek Him first, He will order our steps and show us what's truly important.  We can trust the Lord to give us the wisdom to hear from Him and to enable us to follow His direction.