Messenger

There is something distinctive about the believer in Christ, and by His power, and in conformity to Scripture, we can seek to be different from the world, possessing a sense of hope and deep faith. Titus 2 states:
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

We are not called to please people, as it's been said, but to please God. Not that we are to be so obnoxious that we trash our witness, but in our devotion to Christ, we present to the world a sense of love and hope - qualities that are severely lacking in our culture today. The grace of God working in and through us enables us to live that distinctive life - so that people can see the difference and so that they will wonder about the source of the hope that we display, as 1st Peter chapter 3 suggests. 

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What does it truly mean to be different? That is a question we can ponder as servants of the Lord, recognizing that in our ability to radiate Christ, we can communicate a message that is distinctive. The Bible tells us in 1st Peter 2: 

9 But 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;
10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

The King James translation uses the word, "peculiar" in verse 9, rather than special.

For those who have been following the NBA Finals, the series, which looked to be heading favorably in the direction of the Phoenix Suns, is now knotted at two games apiece as the series heads back to Arizona for Game 5 tomorrow night after the Milwaukee Bucks took two games at home. 

While there are certainly some compelling storylines in this series, perhaps there is none that exceeds the journey of Phoenix head coach Monty Williams. He has a strong faith story of trusting God even in the midst of loss and grief. As the New York Post reports, regarding Williams' late wife:

At age 44, Ingrid was killed in 2016 when her car was hit head on in Oklahoma, leaving behind her husband and the couple’s five children, aged between 5 and 17.

Williams, a former Knicks first-round pick, was then an Okalhoma City assistant. The driver who lost control of her SUV reportedly had methamphetamine in her system.

“Let us not forget there were two people in this situation, and that family needs prayer as well,” Williams said then. “We have no ill will towards that family. In my house we have a sign that says, ‘As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’ We can not serve the Lord if we don’t have a heart of forgiveness.”

Williams' former coach, Jeff Van Gundy, who is part of ABC's broadcast team for the Finals, said: "He’s a man of great faith — it was apparent when he gave one of the greatest, most graceful speeches at the service,” adding, “I remember watching his children. They were amazing. I think he’s an amazing man. I learned from him. I watch him.’’  Just an aside here: Charlie Ward, who will be speaking at the upcoming Gridiron Kickoff at Landmark Church in just over 2 weeks, was a rookie with Williams; their coach said, "He and Charlie, they were so dedicated to their occupation and their families and friends...Both have carried on. Charlie might not be in the spotlight but he’s still a great friend of Monty.’’

Sports Spectrum also took note of the Christian faith commitment of Monty Williams.  Its website states:

Williams spoke about the death of his wife and his faith on the Sports Spectrum Podcast in September 2019. He said he continued to trust in God despite all the pain.

“[God] is good,” Williams said. “He loves me. You go through a time like that and you tend to lose sight of that because you are hurting, but God is good.”

During the offseason this past September, Williams was also asked about his faith in Christ during a Zoom call with media. He referenced a few Bible verses that have impacted him, but wanted to emphasize that he’s nothing special.

“I’m a Christian but I’m also someone who’s a regular dude that’s jacked up, and I have this hope in Christ and I know that I can trust God with any situation that I have,” he said, adding, “When people look at me and they think of our faith, I hope that they see, ‘Man, if God can do that in his life, He can do it in mine.’”

And, sports commentator Jason Whitlock, writing at The Blaze said:

Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams is a disciple of Jesus Christ. Phoenix's most important player, point guard Chris Paul, is a believer as well.

He went on to say:

These playoffs have been joyful and super exciting. For the most part, the TV commercials don't annoy me.

But the real reason to watch is that God placed a messenger inside the NBA's secular madness. Monty Williams might be the most important man in sports. The 49-year-old former Notre Dame and NBA player is the leader and example America needs.

Whitlock also recounted Ingrid's funeral, at which Monty spoke; he said:

Monty Williams stood at his wife's funeral and delivered the most amazing seven-minute eulogy and testimony I've ever heard. He started with scripture.

Psalms 113:1, "Behold how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity."

Psalms 73:1, "God is good."

John 4:16, "God is love."

He then shared the story of the doctor who told him, as an 18-year-old freshman at Notre Dame, that if he continued to play basketball, he would die because of a heart condition. His wife, then his girlfriend, Ingrid, told him, "Jesus can heal your heart."

Williams played in the NBA for a decade.

He closed his wife's funeral by asking his family and friends to pray for the family of the driver who killed his wife.

Whitlock shared that quote from the funeral I included earlier.

I have been watching more basketball this year than I have in the past; part of the reason is that I was fascinated by my hometown, the effervescent Atlanta Hawks, who lost to the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals.  I started out the Finals wanting to see Milwaukee win. Then I learned about Monty Williams' testimony, and I guess I count myself with Whitlock in wanting to see Phoenix win.

Three more games.  We'll see - but God has given Monty Williams an enormous platform.  He is, as Jason Whitlock says, a "messenger" from God.  So, let's personalize that - do you recognize that God has placed you in a special, tailor-made set of circumstances so that you can be His messenger?  And, we can each consider if we're not only up to the task - which we are - but if we are fulfilling that call.

God has given us the resources to see clearly even in confusing and overwhelming times of trial.  When we encounter pain or are beset by fear, we can know His abiding, comforting presence, and He will give us the ability to see Him even though we may not understand what we are going through.

There is something distinctive about the believer in Christ, and that can certainly be refreshing in this culture.  We are called a peculiar people in Scripture, and in a world looking for answers, we can depend on God to help us to truly be different. We carry a different message - which doesn't mean that we try to redeem or appropriate the world's messages, but to carry God's unique message to the world around us.