Baseball And Ethics, Part #2: “What Do We Do About The Steroid Era Players?”

In my last article in this series on Baseball And Ethics, I discussed the fact that right now Major League Baseball (MLB) is in a major quandary regarding very complex ethical issues, and how it resolves these issues is, in my opinion, the greatest challenge it has ever faced. I believe that if MLB does not appropriately resolves these ethical issues it is facing, that this has the potential to even destroy the game itself and/or its legacy. I want to say up front that because of my love of the game of baseball it is not easy and it pains me to write these things.

In my first article in this series I discussed the reinstatement of Pete Rose from an ethical perspective, and I came to the conclusion that the foremost priority to consider in regard to allowing Pete Rose back into baseball, and for induction into the Hall of Fame, has to do with “the ethic of fairness.” Many voices and even some of the game’s icons are today clamoring to have Pete Rose reinstated primarily because of how good a player he was, but I pointed out how this rationale must have nothing to do with his reinstatement. The ethic of “fairness” would be violated and partiality would be used if Rose were reinstated for this reason. My conclusion was that to be fair to everyone else who as ever been in the MLB, if we reinstate Pete Rose, we have to also reinstatement every other player simultaneously who ever received the lifetime ban for gambling. Otherwise, we would be treating Pete Rose with partiality. Acting with partiality would have a devastating effect upon the legacy of baseball and we already have enough kids in this world who have been raised up believing that if you are good enough at your sport the rules don’t apply to you.

Using a metaphor from Star Trek, I believe that “fairness” has to be looked at as the “Prime Directive” when it comes to ethics in any sport. It is the one principle which must not be compromised in order to keep its integrity.

This second part to my series on baseball and ethics deals with what to do with the “steroid era” MLB players, and it is a much more complex topic than the first one. Let me begin this discussion by declaring the fact that cheating of any sort in the MLB (as well as any professional or amateur sport) has always been a real and prescient issue, and a certain amount of cheating has and will always occur. Hitters have cheated and used corked bats. Pitchers have done all manner of illegal things to the baseball before throwing it (spitting, cutting, scuffing, etc.). Coaches and players have stolen signals. Etc., etc., etc. All of these things broke MLB rules. Prior to the steroids era, players before games often took “greenies” which were amphetamines (speed), and they were handed out to the players freely like candy (Greenies were outlawed from baseball in 2006). They would help you to be up for the game physically and mentally. But, throughout the history of the MLB players and coaches have also been kicked out of games and suspended for all manner of cheating (breaking the rules). Cheating has never been tolerated, nor should it be.

One day, along came steroids, and cheating went up to whole another level, one unprecedented in sports. Anabolic Steroids are the synthetic version of the male hormone, Testosterone, and they began to be experimented with in the 1940’s and used by weight lifters in Russia by the 50’s. They were routinely used world-wide by weight lifters in the 60’s. In the 60’s, doctors could and did legally write prescriptions for various types of steroids including Testosterone, Dianabol, Anabar, Deca, and others. The discovery that taking these drugs and pursuing a routine of heavy weight lifting a person could put on muscle mass and increase in strength at an incredible unprecedented rate, plus have longer endurance by their muscles, caused steroid use to become widespread. Initially, induced health problems caused by steroids were not suspected, nor was it considered cheating to use these substances.

As an example of how effective this use of steroids and weight training was, Doug Stalker has written that at the age of 16 he was a 6’ tall 136 lb weakling from New York wanting to play football. Within just three years of a regimen of using Danabo and later Anabar and Deca, and weight lifting, he weighed 212 lbs, had a world record for lifting, and was being considered for the US Olympic weight-lifting team. Then, at the age of 20 he had to quit because of back and knee problems brought about by the steroids. The US Olympic weight-lifting teams of those years were using steroids in order to gain an advantage over the Russians.

Over the next few years Anabolic Steroid use spread to other sports and in 1972, sixty-eight percent of Olympic athletes polled said they were taking them. It was discovered that not only could bulk muscle and strength be added quickly by steroid use, but the muscles on athletes recovered from workouts more quickly and thus athletes could work out more often. However, by the mid 70s it had become common knowledge that there were also significant health risks because of taking steroids. Those who took Testosterone saw their testes shrink and their prostates swell, for instance. It was discovered that Anabolic Steroids were causing susceptibility to cancer, liver damage, heart disease, acne, hair loss, violent aggression (“Roid Rage”), depression that could even lead to suicide, etc. It would take 20 years of steroid use to reveal the depth of damage and health issues caused by these drugs, and some athletes died because of them.

In the US under the Control Substance Act of 1970 (CSA), later amended in 1991, steroids were classified as a Schedule III illegal drug and possession of them without a doctor’s prescription became a federal crime. These laws forced professional as well as amateur sports to ban the use of steroids.

Steroids were officially banned for those in Olympic competition in 1975, and at the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal the International Olympic Committee first began testing athletes for steroids. Many dropped out or were eliminated from competition because of them. Soon all other professional and amateur sports followed suit by declaring steroid use against their rules. But, without steroid testing being required and specific disciplinary action outlined, the detection and enforcement of breaking the steroid rule meant nothing. Required testing for steroid use and outlined disciplinary action for steroid use varied sport to sport amongst professional and amateur sports.

Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent sent all of the MLB clubs a memo in 1991 reminding them that players were forbidden from taking any illegal substance. He specifically mentioned steroids and he encouraged the clubs to take a get-tough policy on players thought to be using steroids. But, regular or random testing for steroids was not required in the MLB.

In the early 90’s the MLB was in decline, fan attendance was down, and baseball was no longer thought of as “America’s pastime.” The era of the great baseball players of the past was long over and fans bored when the best power hitters in the league were hitting less than 40 homeruns in a season. The MLB and its commissioner were under great pressure to do something to reverse this trend and bring fans back to the MLB. What the MLB decided to do to fix this problem with baseball attendance and interest reveals the worst about human nature. They decided to turn a blind eye to steroid use by players, and this led to the steroid era of the past 20 years. There was no testing for steroids in the MLB until 2003 (part of the 2002 labor agreement). In the early 90’s, the league executives had to know that steroid use had crept into baseball, when they began to see power hitters of a kind that had never come along before. During the early 90’s some of the league’s power hitters began to hit a lot more homeruns in their late 30s than they had hit in their late 20s, something that had never happened to the great baseball players of the past, men like Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Babe Ruth, etc. Some of the league’s power hitters put on 40 lbs of bulk muscle in just a few years when they should have been considering when to retire. Fans were excited to see the number of homeruns by many players going through the ceiling and fan attendance skyrocketed. Soon, Roger Maris’ homerun record of 61 homeruns in a season, set in 1961 was in jeopardy.

In 1998, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were in a race to see who would hit the most homeruns and break Maris’ record, and McGwire ended up winning and shattering the record with 70. A professional baseball scout friend of mine was scouting the Seattle Mariners watching them do batting practice before a game during that timeframe, keeping his eye on Seattle’s big slugger at the time, 6’ 3” 215 lb center fielder Jay Buhner. Seattle was playing St. Louis that day, and Mark McGwire walked up to Jay Buhner. My friend said that to him McGwire made Buhner look like a little boy. He said that McGwire’s thighs were the size of Buhner’s waist. I believe it was within a year after his homerun record that McGwire was admitting to using steroids (Andro). Sosa was later discovered to have cheated by using corked bats, then on June 16, 2009, The New York Times broke a story that Sosa had failed a steroids test in 2003.

Barry Bonds is now the career homerun leader after he hit 73 homeruns in 2001. Now retired, Bonds has amassed the most homeruns in a career with 762. Early in his career, Bonds was a somewhat tall and lanky man without much upper body bulk in muscle, and he was not near a league leader in homeruns. The last few years he played he had a massive upper body. Bonds allegedly tested positive for steroid use and then was federally indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice for his testimony to congress concerning the Balco investigation. At this date, jury selection has been postponed indefinitely (makes you wonder if someone high up the echelon is being protected by this postponement).

Because of the increase in homeruns and the homerun record races that brought fans in, the league executives did nothing to stop steroid use, but the entire integrity of the MLB was compromised in the process. Jose Canseco played from 1985-2001 and was an incredible power hitter, having played for a few clubs. In 2005, the MLB world was rocked when Canseco published a book called “Juiced” in which he claimed that all of his ability had come about because of his steroid use. I remember ten years ago, the first time I saw Canseco without a shirt on, and I mused to myself that he didn’t look human, he looked like a horse, a Clydesdale in sweats. Canseco also named in his book several MLB stars as also being steroid users. He claimed in his book that 85% of all MLB players had been taking steroids. Many named in his book have since denied steroid use, but much of what Canseco wrote about has been proven to be true, and, in the past few years MLB hero after hero has been defrocked because of being caught using steroids.

For 20 years, MLB league and team officials turned a blind eye towards steroid use and the result was a whole generation of steroid using baseball players populated the MLB. Kids growing up learned early that if you wanted to compete at the highest levels in baseball that steroids were most likely a requirement, otherwise how else could you compete? Fans came to the MLB games, and the most hallowed records of baseball were broken by those who cheated by using steroids. Yet to me, the worst part of this debacle is the fact that untold tens of thousands of kids had their lives devastated by steroid use as they tried to position themselves to be drafted into the MLB.

To be honest, the thing that makes me the angriest is the fact that those most culpable for damaging kid’s lives and destroying the integrity of baseball, will never be identified. League and team executives, coaches, sportscasters and news media all knew what was going on, but the money rolled in, careers were built upon the game, and so those in the know kept their mouths shut. Who knows how many team executives and coaches helped players to find the right trainer for their doping? Then there is the hypocrisy. Many of these people who turned a blind eye and benefited from the steroid use are the very ones today condemning the use of steroids by players.

Now, I have talked about power hitters almost exclusively, however pitchers also used steroids, it is just harder to discern from their stats and careers who did and did not use them. Steroids helped pitchers to workout and pitch more often, last longer on the mound, etc. Records were also broken by pitchers during the last 20 years, but I fear it will be almost impossible to pin steroid use on most steroid using pitchers apart from the testimony of informants. Among pitchers, Roger Clemens is the big fish that the Mitchell Report stated had used steroids during his late career and who was fingered by four New York Daily News reporters in a book titled, “American Icon: The Fall of Roger Clemens and the Rise of Steroids in America's Pastime." Clemens has contested these reports and denied ever using steroids, and according to Wikipedia.com he is now under investigation by the Justice Department for perjury for his testimony to congress about his steroid use.

So, now I finally come to discussing what should be done with the steroids era players. We have already seen that regardless of whether league and team officials turned a blind eye to steroid use in baseball, steroid users broke the steroid rules as well as committed federal crimes and felonies by their use of Anabolic Steroids. And, it is only because of cheating with these drugs that a large number of the players of the past 20 years could do what they did. Many of the great players and record breakers of this era have since been caught using steroids. Some great players and record breakers of this era were never caught, and may never have used them. To me, it would be unfair to throw out player’s records of this era who were never caught, nor keep them out of the Hall of Fame. But, I think for the ethic of fairness, that you have to throw out all of the records created by all those who later were tested for steroids. Likewise, those who were caught using steroids, I believe, need to be excluded from the Hall of Fame. I also wish for some players we could look at their personal statistics and say that based upon their body mass increase in the latter years of their career that they had to be using steroids, but I don’t know if this is going to be possible. Some say we ought to keep the Steroid Era records and let the steroid using players into the Hall of Fame, but just put an asterisk next to their name. I can’t agree with this because to me all that asterisk means is that they cheated out a deserving player as well a jail sentence.

Did you know that the MLB does not do even do mandatory steroids testing today for all players? The one thing I have learned from my investigation is that the only thing that stops the proliferation of steroids is testing. The Steroid Era in the MLB is continuing folks… We would not have a Steroid Era of the MLB to discuss if testing had been implemented when steroids were banned. Mandatory testing needs to be done from varsity high school play all of the way through the Major Leagues because if kids and/or kid’s parents realize they can get an edge through steroid use, many are going to do so, even at great risk to their health, or their kid’s health.

Right now, Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is being used by many in sports because there is no accurate test for it as of yet. The MLB needs to use a chunk of its profits to aid in research to provide the very best tests for all manner of illegal enhancement drugs so that every cheater can be caught. Simply dedicating this research money every year would go a long way towards restoring the integrity of the MLB. Finally, I think that MLB ought to own up to its misdeeds, and take responsibility for the entire debacle in the first place. League and team officials cheated too, they cheated to make baseball greater than it is by allowing steroids to go unchecked. Nothing could do more to restore integrity to the MLB than their admitting the 20 year cover-up and the lives that were devastated because of it. Perhaps I have gone too far and am being unrealistic, after all how could I ever expect grown-ups to do that which we require of kids: take responsibility for their actions… Until next time, let the games go on.

Baseball And Ethics, Part #1: "The Reinstatement of Pete Rose"

If by reading my blog articles you haven’t figured this out yet, I want to tell you that baseball has been a big part of most of my life. As a fan, a player, an assistant baseball coach, and the father of a baseball player, I have spent a huge amount of time involved with and thinking about baseball. As a Christian and now a pastor, I also think about everything in life in terms of morality and ethics. Well, what I want to talk with you about in this article is “Baseball And Ethics.” Professional baseball right now is facing huge and complex moral dilemmas regarding ethics, and the resolution to these will have far reaching effects, including even the potential to bring down the entire Major League and its legacy. This is the first part of a series I am going to do on baseball and ethics. By the way, I could go lots of different directions with these articles because there is much to consider regarding baseball and ethics, and much at stake in this discussion. But, I will start with this first segment by discussing the Pete Rose dilemma.

Issue #1: Should Pete Rose be allowed into the Baseball Hall of Fame? Should his ban from baseball be lifetime, and if the ban is lifted should he ever be allowed to coach, administrate, and be let into the Hall of Fame?

Many have voiced their opinions on this issue over the past twenty years, many doing so recently, and one of the things that seems to be influencing people in favor of reinstating Rose is the fact that apart from his breaking the gambling rules that his efforts and accomplishments on the field certainly merit him being in the Hall of Fame. Many have recently stated that they want to see Pete Rose allowed into the Hall of Fame, including recently one great spokesmen and icon of baseball, Hank Aaron.

Now, no one is arguing about whether what Pete Rose did was wrong. There are rules that have always existed for professional baseball against gambling.

Major League baseball’s first rule states: “Any player, umpire or club or league official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has no duty to perform, shall be declared ineligible for one (1) year.”

It’s second rule states: “Any player, umpire or club or league official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform shall be declared permanently ineligible."

By the way, the reason that Major League Baseball implemented gambling rules in the first place was because since the beginning of the leagues there has been corruption by baseball players betting and then throwing games in order to win money by losing. So, it is not difficult to imagine why stiff gambling rules were needed. Pete Rose is believed to have bet on his team as many as 50 times during the 1987 baseball season, and when this was discovered he was declared permanently ineligible. The baseball commissioner said that the evidence against Rose was overwhelming. Rose twice applied for reinstatement and was denied in 1997 and 2003.

There are two issues I’d like to discuss related to Pete’s ban. First of all, how do you determine what is a fair punishment for crimes and the breaking of rules? There are a plethora of ways in which justice could be served in such cases, and thus I don’t know how someone could say that one particular punishment is the "correct" one. Governing bodies determine laws and rules, however, and we as citizens and members defer to them to make these determinations. Those who were in charge of the baseball league at the time that the gambling rules were implemented had to make a decision about what was just and appropriate, and, the two gambling rules were what they determined to implement. We always abide by their decisions.

The second issue related to Pete’s ban has to do with precedence. In the history of the game, there have been many who have been banned for life for breaking the gambling rules, and to this point in time none have ever been reinstated. The most famous case is what is known as the “Black Sox Scandal.” It occurred when eight players on the 1919 White Sox (later nicknamed the "1919 Black Sox") threw the World Series at the behest of gamblers and received the lifetime ban from baseball. These eight men included the great "Shoeless" Joe Jackson; pitchers Eddie Cicotte and Claude "Lefty" Williams; infielders Buck Weaver, Arnold "Chick" Gandil, Fred McMullin, and Charles "Swede" Risberg; and outfielder Oscar "Happy" Felsch. Oh, and here is a list just of those who were banned from baseball prior to 1920:

• Thomas Devyr, Ed Duffy and William Wansley, New York Mutuals, banned in 1865
for associating with known gamblers. Devyr was reinstated the same year; the
others were reinstated in 1870.
• George Bechtel, Louisville Grays, was banned in 1876 for conspiring with his teammates to throw (intentionally lose) a game for $500.
• Jim Devlin, George Hall, Al Nichols and Bill Craver, Louisville Grays, were banned in 1877 for conspiring to throw two games. No evidence was ever found to suggest that Craver actually had anything to do with the conspiracy, but he refused to cooperate with the investigators.
• Oscar Walker, banned in 1877 for "contract jumping" by signing a contract to play for
another team while still under contract to the team he left. (This was approximately 100 years prior to the advent of free agency in sports.)
• Richard Higham, umpire, banned in 1882 for conspiring to help throw a Detroit
Wolverines game after Detroit's owner hired a private investigator to check out
Higham's background, who found that he was a cohort of a known gambler. To date,
Higham is the only umpire banned for life.
• Joseph Creamer, New York Giants (team physician), was banned in 1908 for bribing an umpire $2,500 to conspire against the Chicago Cubs during a playoff game against the Giants.
• Jack O'Connor and Harry Howell, manager and coach, respectively, of the St. Louis
Browns, were banned in 1910 for attempting to fix the outcome of the 1910 American League batting title for Cleveland Indians player Nap Lajoie and against Ty Cobb.
• Horace Fogel, Philadelphia Phillies owner, was banned in 1912 for publicly asserting that the umpires favored the New York Giants and were making unfair calls against his team.

You can go to a web site and see the list of the names of every person who has been banned from baseball throughout its history: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_figures_who_have_been_banned_for_life.

Now, I contend that if we let Pete Rose out of his lifetime ban from baseball, to be fair, that we must also remove the ban from every other person that was likewise banned for life. Pete Rose is no less guilty than anyone on the list, and in fact an argument could be made that because he bet over 50 times on his own team in 1987 that he is perhaps one of the worst offenders. The fact that Rose’s stats are more than deserving for him to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame should not even be part of our reasoning for reinstating him. If we let Rose in then we have a whole bunch of people, many with great stats themselves, whom we have let down in a very unfair manner. If we let Pete Rose back in to baseball then the declaration should also be made that the gambling rules were wrong and unfairly harsh, and that the lifetime ban was a poorly thought out concept. But, if we can’t reinstate all of the ones previously banned for life, then baseball ought to tell Pete Rose that they are sorry but rules are rules, and he was perfectly aware of the rules and their consequences when he chose to bet on his team.

I do know that laws and rules have to be based upon “fairness”, and lifting the ban for everyone is what the ethic of fairness requires, does it not? To say that we will let in Pete Rose because we just happen to like him or think he was a great player, when everyone else who broke the same rules was banned for life, is a precedent that we should not pass along to the next generation either. Since when are the statutes of morality supposed to be bent based upon respecting persons. The scripture tells us that God is not partial to any, not a respecter of persons, and that He judges all by the same absolute standards: Romans 2:11, “For there is no partiality with God.” This is stated very clearly also in Job 34:19, “Who shows no partiality to princes Nor regards the rich above the poor, For they all are the work of His hands?”

Likewise, the scripture tells us that it is a sin for we as God’s people to show partiality to others: Deuteronomy 1:17, “‘You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not fear man, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’” James 2:9, “But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.”

By the way, do you, and does your church, treat everyone the same, regardless of their race, nationality, station in life, financial status, political and group affiliations? It should. In James chapter 2, the verse above was penned to correct a situation in the church in which the more wealthy members were being given special treatment in the services and ushered in to sit in the better seats, while the poor people were being told to sit somewhere in the back. James' words were meant to be a stinging rebuke. We as God's people are supposed to treat all people equally, and this goes even for those in our own household, and marriage.

I remember the first time I learned this lesson in my marriage. My wife and I had been married about ten years, and one day I came home from work and my wife was looking at a furniture catalogue. I walked over to her and she said we’re buying that one, that one, that one, and that one. I said, “Wait a minute, you’re being selfish wanting to buy all of these things that you want for our house.” She replied, “Well, I have not bought a thing for myself and for all of these years I’ve watched you buy guitar and guitar amp, after another.” I replied, “Yeah, but that was for ‘ministry’ honey?” She replied, “Yes, and our house is part of my ministry, and that is why we ARE going to buy these!” I couldn’t deny her logic. She has often over the years also made this statement, “What is good for the goose is good for the gander!” Oh yes, fairness and not showing partiality, they are central in any system of justice for any civilized people.

I fear for the next generation because of the way we in our world today are so quick to make morality and ethics relative to persons and not based upon one absolute standard.

Now, there are some other arguments that have been made for allowing Pete Rose to be instated. For instance, the argument has been made that Pete Rose only bet for his team, not against them. Therefore, he should be reinstated because his actions weren’t as egregious as if he bet for his team to lose and then threw games, and, the rules against gambling were initially instituted after some had thrown games after betting their team would lose. The problem with this logic is first of all that the rule against gambling doesn’t specify only certain kinds of bets placed on your team. Secondly, if Rose were reinstated based upon the fact that it was determined that he only bet for his team rather than against them, this I believe would set up a precedent that is not good. It would encourage others to bet on their team, and this is probably not what we would want, plus it could cause some real problems and corruption with the game. By the way, I’m not sure it can be proven that Rose only bet for his team.

Another argument some have made for allowing Pete Rose into the Hall of Fame is the fact that it was after Rose had committed his gambling on baseball that Major League Baseball created the rule specifically disallowing anyone into the Hall of Fame based upon gambling on one’s own team. Therefore, Rose should be allowed to be grandfathered into consideration for the Hall of Fame since his offenses occurred before this rule and it would be unfair to hold him to this rule that came afterwards. If followed, this logic could allow Rose to be accepted into the Hall of Fame yet never be reinstated to baseball in general. No one else though has ever been allowed into the Hall of Fame who had previously been banned for life for gambling on his team, and this is because there was an informal agreement that a ban for life for gambling on one’s team included a ban from the Hall of Fame. The rule to disallow into the Hall of Fame for gambling on one’s team was simply implementing as a rule what had always been followed.

Finally, yet another argument for reinstating Pete Rose has to do with comparing baseball to other professional sports, and then determining that since some sports wouldn’t have given Rose a lifetime ban for betting on the sport, therefore, baseball shouldn’t ban him for life. The problem with this approach is that every sport has rules that are unique to it, and fairness in the application of rules has to be consistent within that sport, in order for there to be fairness to those who participate. While in an ideal world it would be good if every sport had the same rules regarding things such as gambling, it probably won’t ever happen, and, hoping that this will occur one day should not influence the decision regarding Rose’s reinstatement.

Again, I reiterate my position that if we are to be fair ethically and Pete Rose is to be allowed to be reinstated into baseball then every other player who has ever been banned for life for gambling on his team should also be reinstated.

In my next thread for this article about Baseball And Ethics, I will discuss whether those who have been discovered to have been taking steroids the past twenty years should be allowed into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

NFL Quarterback Steve McNair: What legacy will he leave?

What a sad couple of weeks it has been since x-Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair was tragically murdered. The investigation into the events of McNair’s last night has been accompanied by the gradual coming to light of his character and life. Steve was widely known not only as being a talented and successful NFL quarterback, but also as being a family man, a man who had made an impact on his community, and a Christian man of character. But, as the days went by after his murder, another picture of Steve began to emerge, and many have written about his life. Steve had a secret life, a dark side.

In 2003, McNair was arrested for a DUI and carrying a concealed weapon in California. McNair’s high priced lawyers helped him to get the charges dropped. He was traded to the Baltimore Ravens in 2005. But, then in 2007 McNair was again arrested on a DUI along with his brother-in-law, this time in Tennessee. But, his lawyers again got his charges dropped. In April of 2008, McNair retired from football after 13 seasons.

But, since his death reports began to emerge that for years McNair was also often seen partying late at night around town, and there are reports that he had had a long term affair with the young woman, one of his employees, who murdered him. It was also recently released that Steve’s blood alcohol limit was twice the legal limit for drunkenness, and the investigation has determined that Steve was murdered in his sleep with a couple of gun shots to his chest and a couple to his head.

Someone once said that some people’s legacy in life is merely to serve as a warning to others, and now it appears that McNair shall be one of them. McNair’s exploits and decisions on the field will for a long time (and perhaps forever) seem meaningless and trivial compared to his exploits and decisions off of it. The children and wife he left behind will now spend the rest of their lives trying somehow to forgive him for the shame and pain he brought them. If McNair’s life shall serve as a warning to us, then we would do well to consider the lessons we should learn.

NFL football coach Tony Dungy has a blog, and in a published thread he summarized rather well what we should be thinking about concerning Steve McNair’s life and legacy:

“For Lauren and me, though, Steve McNair’s death has been troubling. While we didn’t know him well, we did get a chance to spend a week with him and his family at the 2004 Pro Bowl, and the Colts competed against his Tennessee Titans for years in the AFC South Division. From all appearances, it seemed like a beautiful family who had everything going for it and a dad who was an icon in Tennessee.

What went wrong? Right now we can only guess, but perhaps time will answer
some of the questions. There is going to be a tendency to say, “We should remember the good things Steve did and not focus on the negative.” And we should remember all the great things he did on the field for the Titans and in the Nashville community. We also shouldn’t focus on the information that has come out in the last few days in a purely judgmental way. But I think it would be a mistake to just ignore the more disturbing parts of the McNair story.

I think the best thing we could do is try to learn from it. In my mind, the lesson
is that no matter how successful we are, no matter how many good things we do in life, we are all susceptible to temptation and bad choices. And one bad choice can ruin your life; just as it appears to have happened to Steve McNair, it can happen to me.

As a Christian, I believe in the bible, and it talks a lot about temptations and also about the consequences of sin and bad choices. Christians aren’t immune from those temptations or consequences. It appears that Steve McNair made a bad decision as a married man, just as Governor Sanford of South Carolina did, going down a disastrous path with another woman. Those relationships could have started out very innocently, and maybe even with good intentions in mind. However, at some point, both men had to make decisions on the direction those relationships would take, and both men apparently made the wrong choice. Unfortunately, those decisions will have terrible consequences for them and their families.

We have to keep in mind the impact our decisions can have, not only on ourselves, but on our loved ones as well. And it’s not just in the area of extra-marital affairs, but in all areas of integrity–in our personal and our business affairs as well. We have to constantly be on guard and pray about all of our decisions. We can’t fool ourselves into thinking that bad decisions won’t have bad consequences.”

Michael Hyatt, CEO for Thomas Nelson Incorporated, wrote in his blog these five lessons that we ought to learn from Steve McNair’s life:

• We never make decisions in a vacuum. Everything matters. Our words and actions will echo into eternity.
• One moment of indiscretion will be remembered forever. It can wipe away a lifetime of good deeds, all of which will be forgotten.
• We are all vulnerable to lapses in judgment. If we think we are not, we are setting ourselves up for failure.
• We need to build a support system of family and friends who will care enough to challenge us when we veer off course.
• We need to live our lives on-purpose. In my experience, the best way to do this is to create a life plan and review it frequently. If you don’t have a road map, you could end up anywhere.

All of the revelations that have come out about McNair recently have painted the portrait of a man who on the outside appeared to be one thing, yet inwardly was very different, a man who had for a long time been greatly conflicted. I’m sure his wife today could write a book about the hypocrisy of a man who appeared to be one thing yet was another, a man who wanted to be known as a Christian yet was haunted by demons. His life at one point surely became one misstep that led to another that led to another, until one day he paid the piper. Whether or not he was truly a “born again” Christian, I will not speculate. But, I do know that he was a man who was ruled by his passions, rather than being in control of them. Most likely he was a man who truly desired to be a good person and live that life that God had planned for him. But, temptations were strong for one of his fame, and rather than resist the Devil and desist from sin, he chose to have one foot in God’s kingdom and one foot walking in the ways of this sinful world. But, one cannot continue that game forever without paying a price.

This all reminds me of when the children of Israel were ready to cross over the Jordon river and take possession of the land of Canaan. They had been wandering around in the wilderness, a place that symbolizes the believer in this world in his struggles and failings to serve the Lord, and the trials that that brings. When they got ready to go, the tribes of Reuben and Gad asked permission to stay on the wilderness side of the Jordon because they thought the land over there was ideal pasture for their flocks. But, this wasn’t the land God had prepared for them and called them to. These tribes were finally given permission to stay on that side if they came over and helped the other tribes, their brothers, to capture the promised land, fighting alongside of them. Possessing the land of Canaan symbolizes walking in victory in Christ and claiming all of the promises of God. These tribes agreed to go help their brothers fight and thus were allowed to stay, but the Lord warned them beforehand that if they did not follow through with their commitment to conquer that land and follow the Lord’s commandments, “Be sure and know for your sins will find you out.” Let me tell you my friend, this principle pertains to you. If you try to live with one foot in God’s kingdom and the other walking in the ways of this sinful world that is in rebellion against God, your sins too will find you out. One day there will be a huge price to pay in the consequences of your decisions. Is that what you would like for your life’s legacy?

Steve McNair's life would be a double tragedy if there is someone out there who reads this article who has been living like McNair, living a secret life of sin, and when they read this they don't realize that through Christ there is hope for them. If you realize that I am speaking to you in this, also recognize that a life transformation is available if you will by faith repent (turn away from) your sin and yield your life completely into Jesus' control as your Lord and Savior. If you will humbly accept the forgiveness His life was given on the cross to obtain, then this is the first step to getting victory. This forgiveness is promised you in 1 John 1:9-2:2: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world." Next, you need to seek out a pastor of a credible Christian church, or a Christian friend, and let them know that you also need their help to conquer this sin in your life. Then, listen and take heed to their counsel... There are many examples of men and women who made big mistakes and fell deep into sin, who have gone on and later become great examples as Christians. Just look at the lives of Chuck Colson or preacher Jim Bakker, for instance.

My heart aches and grieves for the victims of this tragedy. May Jesus Christ grant His peace to the McNair family in their grieving process, as well as the family of the young woman herself who allegedly pulled the trigger that fateful night.

Philippians #4: Four Keys To Having The Joy Of The Lord Rule Our Lives

In my first article from the book of Philippians, we talked about what is the source of the joy in our life, and does your joy come from this world or from your relationship with Christ. We saw that the main theme in the book is the joy of the Lord, and that the joy of the Lord comes up continually in the book. Preachers often preach to their people about things they ought to be doing, but they don’t always tell them how to do the things that they ought to do. People need to know how to do the things they ought to do. Chapter 4 of the book, where we find ourselves in this article, is sort of the “how to” chapter of the book. It shows us how we can have the joy of the Lord in our life and thus be blessed and be a great witness for the Lord. I will present to you the four keys that Paul gives us.

The apostle Paul, the author of the book, reiterates this theme of joy and writes in verse 4 of chapter 4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” Then, Paul exhorts us to not worry: “Be anxious for nothing…” What keeps us from having the joy of the Lord is worry and being anxious. Paul admonishes the reader to not worry or be anxious about a single thing. But, how can we as believers in Christ extinguish worry in our lives? Is it really our responsibility to do this? Are we even able to not worry or be anxious? I think that secular psychiatrists today would tell us that this is impossible for many. Yet, Paul tells us how to achieve these things in this chapter. Now, I’m not saying that there are not medical problems which can keep us from being complete as people and having the joy that some have. I also do not think that we should judge others as being less spiritual who suffer from depression, and some people are much more prone to it than others, and life can throw any of us a curve at times and set us off in into the mire of depression. Most people have had some experience with it. Likewise, there are many physical conditions which produce a tendency towards varying levels and types of depression. We must remember that the scripture tells us to “weep with those who weep,” so we do need to be compassionate and empathetic to others who suffer with depression.

I see here in chapter 4 of Philippians that Paul tells us what we can do, what is our part, towards having the joy of the Lord in our life. And, I have to tell you that Paul assumes that we who are in Christ have the ability to do some things, such as: pray, give thanks to God, control what sorts of things we dwell upon, and trust God and the promises of His word.

So, lets look at what Paul says is the first key to having the joy of the Lord in our life instead worry and being anxious: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). Paul tells the reader to turn all of his/her cares into prayers, prayers with thanksgiving to God (grumbling and complaining in unbelief is what kept the Israelites from walking in faith and obtaining the blessings of God—Paul says “Do all things without grumbling and complaining,” Philippians 2:14).

The promise here is that if you will turn all of your cares into prayers, prayers with thanksgiving, that you will have the ‘peace of God which surpasses all comprehension’. What a great relief it is when you quit trying to carry your own burdens and lay them on the shoulders of one who is so fully capable of carrying them and sustaining us, and scripture says, “Cast your burdens upon the Lord and He will sustain you” (Psalm 55:22). Worry and being anxious cannot exist where the ‘joy of the Lord’ and the ‘peace of God’ reign, for they are contradictory. Likewise, we as Christians can and do have ‘the peace of God’ in our hearts in situations where this should not be a possibility, and thus this is something that ‘surpasses all comprehension’ beyond the miraculous and supernatural presence and activity of God. I could tell you many stories of people, including myself, having the ‘peace of God’ when this should have been the last thing that we experienced. For instance, once I attended the funeral of a friend, a man with a wife and young kids who had been killed in a tragic work incident, and at the receiving line at the conclusion of the funeral, as person after person walked by thinking they would comfort the widowed wife, what they experienced instead was having her comfort them with ‘the peace of God’ in her life. What a testimony to God’s power to give us ‘the peace of God that surpasses all comprehension’.

One point here I want to make is to point you to the fact that Paul speaks of the ‘joy of the Lord’ being like a mighty divine soldier who will ‘guard your hearts and your minds’ in Christ Jesus, as you turn your cares into prayers, with thanksgiving. Why would our ‘heart’ and our ‘mind’ need to be guarded, even when we are praying about everything with thanksgiving? I think Paul must be thinking that there are demonic principalities and powers all over the world who enslave unbelievers with fear and blind them to the truth, and thus our hearts and minds need to be protected from such as these. It is ‘the peace of God’ who is the divine sentinel guarding our hearts and minds.

The second key to having the joy of the Lord, and the peace of God, in our lives is found in verse 8 and it has to do with our having a responsibility to direct our minds regarding the things that we think about: ‘Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things’. Again, this verse assumes that the believer in Christ has the ability to determine what things his mind “dwells” upon. What a person’s mind dwells upon has a huge effect upon his/her mind and heart. The struggles and trials of the Christian life are all struggles of the mind. The key to having victory over temptation largely hinges upon guarding what we think about, and thus Jesus told His disciples that if a man lusts after a woman that he has committed adultery with her in his heart, or if he becomes angry with his brother he has committed murder. Thus, Paul also wrote how that we as Christians need to learn to take captive our every thought to the obedience of Christ: “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

How many of us have watched a scary movie and then went to bed only to have nightmares? We watch a comedy show or movie, and this helps us to relax and not take life too seriously. Again, what we think about has a great effect on our lives. Notice the things that we are to dwell upon with our minds, they are things that are worthy of our time, things that please the Lord: the things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, and it anything is worthy of praise. Dwelling upon these things, and rejecting the dwelling upon those things that are unworthy, will cause us to have the joy of the Lord and the peace of God in our life. Besides that, since the scripture tells us that our bodies are a temple of the Lord, if we let our mind dwell upon unworthy and sinful objects, then we are defiling the temple of the Lord by our thoughts. And, if we allow garbage to go into our minds, we should expect garbage to come out of it also. We must protect where our mind “dwells,” and passing sinful thoughts are the experience of all of us. It is not a sin to be tempted in our thoughts, but if we let a sinful thought take root, then it becomes sin in us.

In the Psalms, David sometimes expressed depressing thoughts, and yet we see that he would then encourage himself to trust in God to come out of them: “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence” Psalm 42:5. Whenever we lose our perspective and our hope as Christians, we need to plant our mind in the promises of God and remember all the things that He has promised to us. When we are focusing on God and His promises, our circumstances get smaller and smaller and our God gets bigger and bigger. Likewise, when we focus on our circumstances our God gets smaller and smaller. We need to take responsibility for what we are thinking.

The third key to having the joy of the Lord, and the peace of God, in our lives is learning to be content in our life, regardless of our circumstances: “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need” (Phil. 4:11-12). You might think that if everything were going as well in your life as they did for the apostle, that you too might be content in every circumstance. But, I would point out to you that Paul wrote this book as one of his prison epistles, for he was living in a horrible Roman prison at this time. Not only so, listen to what he says about the many difficulties he had gone through in his life: : “Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure” (2 Corinthians 11:24-27). No, you can learn to become content in your circumstances, regardless of what they are. I doubt any of us have suffered in this life to the extent of the apostle Paul, I know I haven’t. Paul was content in every circumstance because his contentment was not controlled by his circumstances, just as should be with our contentment.

Note, that Paul says that being content was something that he had learned to become. Contentment is a great key to having the joy of the Lord and the peace of God in our hearts, but it is something that takes time to learn. The good and the bad circumstances, and in fact all that we do, is working together in our lives for good according to Romans 8:28, and in each and every one we are learning that we can trust our life more with God, trust in the reliability of His promises, trust that He is in control of this world and has a plan that He is working out, even if many times we don’t know why things happen and what He is doing. Believers in Christ are all being taught by God to be content in whatever circumstance we are in, and we can learn this lesson just as Paul learned it.

The fourth key to having the joy of the Lord, and the peace of God, in our lives is found in verse 13 of chapter 4: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Paul tells us that he realized that God would always give him the ability to do every single thing that God wanted him to do. Through the empowering of the Holy Spirit, Paul tells us that he can do these things. Most of us pray for tasks relative to the strength that we have, but Paul prayed for the strength to do all of the things that God wanted him to do. Paul was willing to allow the Lord to stretch him well beyond what he in the power of his flesh and will power was able to do, and this was because he knew that the Holy Spirit will always give you the strength to do whatever God wants you to do in each and every circumstance. Paul has been called “the most successful Christian ever,” and he described his own ministry as being a “demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (1 Corinthians 2:4), and when we consider all of the churches he planted, all of the people he won to Christ, and the fact that he wrote more epistles than any other apostle, we are in awe of how God can work through a man’s life that is completely consecrated to Him.

If you are a person who has suffered a lot from depression, then you might think that Paul must have never faced depression such as you have faced, and thus that what he wrote about how to have the joy of the Lord doesn’t apply to everyone. This is not the case, depression seems to often have been a companion of Paul’s, and many great men of God throughout history have struggled at times with depression. In the book of 2 Corinthians, Paul mentions several times being depressed. He for instance says, “But God, who comforts the depressed…” (2 Corinthians 7:6). He says also that he and those with him were so depressed that they despaired even of life: “For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life” (2 Corinthians 1:8). But then Paul speaks in every case about how God ‘comforts’ us in all of our afflictions, and he even calls God, ‘the God of all comfort’. Paul mentions how that God uses us because of that ‘comfort’ He gives us: “…who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Cor. 1:4). Now today, doctors would probably proscribe anti-depressants or neurotransmitter drugs for Paul, and maybe that would be the right and humanitarian thing to do for him. But, drugs can only help the tiny electrical processes and transmissions in our brain, they can’t make us come to right conclusions and think right thoughts. Though these drugs help many, they just mask problems if we are not applying these four keys to having the joy of the Lord and the peace of God in our life. We still need to apply these keys if we are to do our part, and I hope that anyone who takes these types of drugs does not stop short of doing their part in applying these keys.

Finally, you may ask me what this topic has to do with the realm of and participation in sports. Well, I would say to you that first of all as a person, and especially as a Christian, you should want to have the joy of the Lord as your strength and know the great blessing of the peace of God in your life. Plus, in Philippians we are commanded to not worry and be anxious, and to apply ourselves to these keys. Also, sports are games that are won by the one who has the greatest control of his/her mind. Have we not heard of guys who ‘willed themselves’ or ‘willed their team’ to victory? Have you not heard of someone that, ‘he took over the game’. Learning to control our thought life has great benefits in all that we attempt to do. As Christians we should realize we have a head start over others in this area because we are already learning to take our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ.

Again, the four keys are: always turning all of our cares to prayers with thanksgiving, letting our minds dwell only upon worthy objects, learning to be content in every circumstance, and believing that you can do all things through Him who strengthens you. If you do your part and apply yourself to these keys, you will begin to experience the joy of the Lord and the peace of God that surpasses comprehension.

Philippians #3: Forgetting What Lies Behind & Pressing On To What Lies Ahead

In the third chapter of the book of Philippians, the apostle Paul speaks of his own perspective on his life, and in the process he presents a principle that is critical to learn for everyone who would be used of God, or be successful in any endeavor for that matter. The context of Paul stating this principle is his speaking of his overarching goal of knowing Christ personally and experimentally: Philippians 3:10-14: “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

It is believed that Paul wrote this letter to the Philippians around 63 AD, or thirty years after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul at this point in time had been a believer for perhaps as many as 28 years. He had already completed his three missionary journeys, and planted every church he would plant. All that Paul had written about his hardships to the Corinthians in his second letter to them, had long ago occurred: 2 Corinthians 11:24-27: “Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.” This book of Philippians was one of Paul’s prison epistles, and really all that we know that Paul would do from this point on his life is write some more prison epistles. Paul was an elderly man at this time, you see.

So, why am I telling you these things about Paul? Its because the fact that he wrote these things to the Philippians at this point in his life that makes them even more poignant. Paul tells them, ‘I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus…I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet.” The man who has been called “the most successful Christian ever,” one who was used to plant more churches than any other apostle, and the one who wrote more of the New Testament than any of the other apostles, was still trying to attain that which he had been called to attain. Amazing! He tells us that he is always “forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead.”

If I were the apostle, I would be thinking of all of the things that I had already accomplished. I would be writing my memoirs, creating my monuments, and living on the laurels of what I had already accomplished. I would be content for having served the Lord and finished the calling that God had for me. But, not the apostle Paul. He was always looking to what God had for him to do today, always ready to step out in a venture of faith and see how God would meet him, always ready to be used, stretched, and expanded by God. Oh, how we in the church need to be like Paul and always looking to the future and the upward calling of God for our lives.

So many of us are stuck and can’t get passed the past. We cannot achieve our goals, can’t enjoy life or be successful, because of paralysis caused by the past, or simply because we are looking backwards instead of forward. Paul would teach us that we should never let one day’s events keep us from fulfilling that which the Lord wants us to do today.

Jesus told His disciples in Luke 9:62 that any disciple who looked back to his old like was not fit or worthy for His kingdom, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” A Commentary Critical And Explanatory states: “Looking back is sure to end in going back (Lu 9:62): So Lot’s wife (Lu 17:32). If in stemming a current we cease pulling the oar against it, we are carried back. God’s word to us is as it was to Israel, “Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward” (Ex 14:15). The Bible is our landmark to show us whether we are progressing or retrograding.”

In sports, one of the things that athletes have to learn to be successful is to not let failure on a previous play affect them on the next play. Some athletes are more susceptible to this than others. A baseball player might strike out a couple of times at the beginning of the game, and then his head is down and he is down on himself the rest of the game. I have seen baseball pitchers have their fielders make a couple of errors, and suddenly they are afraid to throw a strike because they don’t feel like their team will back them up. Sometimes a batter or two will get a big hit, maybe a homerun, and suddenly they lose their confidence and cannot perform successfully.

In baseball, players need to recognize that if you are unsuccessful at the plate 7 out of 10 times, you are considered a good hitter. Yet, baseball players often lose their swagger and confidence at the plate after only a couple of failures.

The players that stay focused and confident through failure after failure often find themselves in a position to win a game at the end, and this one play that they might make (such as a walk off game winning hit, for instance), makes them extremely valuable to their team. If players will simply be patient and not get ruffled, the game will usually come to them, and they will make a big play. Magic Johnson, and even Kobe Bryant, are basketball players who were always able to influence their whole team to just settle down and remain patient and confident.

There is another application of this principle that we can make for athletes. Many athletes don’t understand that genetics are not enough in order for an athlete to achieve greatness and do great things in their sport. Genetics are an ingredient in accomplishing great things athletically, but athletes also have to have a good work ethic, both in their in season and out of season workouts, and, they need to continue to get better every single day. One athlete we were interviewing for SportsFaith said, “You are either getting better or you are getting worse.” There is no plateau where an athlete maintains a certain level of play. He has to always be working on mechanics and improving his speed, agility, strength, and quickness, or he reverts in his ability. It is a very rare professional athlete who can take very much time off from his sport and then be able to come back and perform at the same or superior level.

After Michael Phelps won more gold medals than anyone in history in swimming at this past Olympics, he was asked how he had been able to do this. His answer didn’t have anything to do with his genetic makeup or body type. He said that he and his team gained the edge by working out all seven days of every week, not six. Therefore, they had 52 more workouts per year than their competitors.

There is also no plateau that we as Christians reach in our spiritual life where we maintain a certain spirituality. You are either growing as a Christian or you are backsliding. One person once called backsliding “slack-abiding’ to emphasize that you really don’t have to do anything to backslide.

Most of us who are Christians have some emotional baggage that we carry around with us from our past, and our memories can hinder us. Here are some things that I have discovered can keep Christians looking in the past instead of pressing on towards the upward call of God and looking to those things that are future:

• Failures.
• Fear of failure.
• Unforgiveness and bitterness towards those who have hurt us.
• Failure to trust God.
• Self pity.
• Our past achievements.
• Laziness.
• Apathy.

The list above consists of items that we in our Christian walk must learn to have victory. When we think about all that Paul endured as a missionary for Christ, he could have used any of those excuses for why he was satisfied in what he had already achieved. There are many admonitions and promises from scripture that can help us to overcome each one of these. Warren Wiesrsbe in his Hebrews commentary states the following about allowing Jesus to lead us in victory in every struggle and challenge in our life: “Hebrews 2:10 calls Him “the Pioneer [captain] of their salvation,” for our salvation experience must never become static. The Christian life is not a parking lot; it is a launching pad! It is not enough just to be born again; we must also grow spiritually (2 Peter 3:18) and make progress in our walk. In Hebrews 12:2, Jesus is called “the Pioneer [author]... of our faith,” which suggests that He leads us into new experiences that test our faith and help it to grow. One of the major themes of Hebrews is “let us press on to maturity” (Heb. 6:1, NASB), and we cannot mature unless we follow Christ, the Pioneer, into new areas of faith and ministry.”

By the way, I do not believe that Paul meant that we as Christians are not to even spend a second of our time thinking about anything in the past. He himself often speaks of things earlier in his life, so if he meant this he would be hypocritical. Even Holocaust survivors remember the things that they went through during that horrible time in their life. I believe the point that Paul is making is not to let the things of the past affect us adversely today. We need to shake off those past things just like Paul in the 28th chapter of Acts after he had been shipwrecked and then swam to the island of Malta, shook off into the fire the poisonous viper that had latched onto his had as he was gathering wood. We must through the empowering of the Holy Spirit continually give our burdens and cares to the Lord, and trust Him to grant us to have victory over sin and victory in the midst of the adversity we face today.

Finally, when Paul tells the Philippians that he ‘presses on’ for the ‘prize’ of the upward call of God, he uses the imagery of the athlete who competed in the Olympic games and always had his body bent forward focusing upon the finish line. In running any race, it is critical to keep focused upon the finish line. It does not help one win to run ½, ¾, or even 9/10ths of a race in the lead. You must finish first and thus you must keep focused upon crossing the finish line. The prize of the upward calling of God for the Christian is described by the Bible Knowledge Commentary as being: ““the crown of righteousness” (1Co 9:24; 2Ti 4:8). Rev 2:10, “crown of life.” 1Pe 5:4, “a crown of glory that fadeth not away.”” How important it is for we who are Christians to keep our eyes focused upon the prize and rewards of eternal life. Dwelling upon these things gives us an anchor for our soul and keeps us from drifting away from the Lord and His will and calling for us.

Are you forgetting what lies behind and pressing on towards the future and the upward calling of God for your life?

Philippians #2: The Christian Athlete And Humility

Is a Christian athlete or coach to be humble? Does being humble take away one’s edge in being competitive in athletics? Does a Christian who is an athlete or a coach have a pass from the Lord concerning being humble? What does God say about these things?

Last year, during my son’s college spring break baseball tour my wife and I followed around his team and watched all of their games. At one of the games in Indiana, one of the boy’s mom’s had her two year old later-in-life son with her. The boy was along the fence on the left field line, and his mom was throwing a nerf baseball for him to hit with a plastic bat. For only being two, the boy was already showing athletic prowess, hitting the ball maybe one out of four throws. What caught my attention and thoughts though was that every time that she threw the ball to the boy and he swung the bat, whether he hit the ball or not, he threw up his arms up in the air in goalposts like a football fan signaling a touchdown, and he would yell, “Yeah!” You could tell that in his mind he was playing before a huge stadium of people and really enjoying the crowd’s praise. The little tike was cute as a bug and amused all of the parents!

At a very young age kids begin to realize that people who excel at athletics are heroes and the crowds cheer them on. This becomes a major motivator for kids who have the athletic juices flowing within them.

I sometimes joke around and tell people that the only sport that I myself was mediocre at was baseball. Ummmm, the fact is that I was also horrible at the rest of them. But, the same type of motivator was working within me in junior high school and high school when I began playing guitar and got into a rock band because that was a way to get girlfriends. This motivator isn’t limited to sports.

Enjoying praise and recognition becomes a motivator for many athletically gifted, and as they continue to excel the crowds and accolades just get bigger and bigger. If they are part of the statistical few who make it to the pro ranks these athletes begin to find that there is huge worship of the athlete, and what becomes perilous for them is that money, sex, drugs, power, and you name it, are often at their finger tips.

In the NFL, for many years wide receivers have become the biggest glory hounds, and for all but a few their motivation ceases to be for the team but rather all about them. After a touchdown guys used to just spike the football in the end zone, then they began to do the silly dances that drew attention to themselves. Over time these celebrations grew more and more sophisticated (they are finally held somewhat in check today by new rules). In one game after Terrell Owens caught a touchdown pass, he pulled out a sharpie and signed the ball and handed it to his financial advisor seated in a luxury seat in the end zone.

Today, the Terrell Owens’s around the league celebrate their touchdowns by going to a corner of the end zone and expressing to the crowd their greatness while all of the fans encourage their narcissism. Because of the inflated egos of many athletes and their exhibitions, it is no wonder that many around our country have quit watching and attending professional sporting events. We who are Christians know that God is to get all glory.

The emphasis on self and self-glory has all but ruined the entire concept of “the team” in professional sports. I think in many ways our modern free agency has fed these attitudes as well. Athletes are considered naïve and foolish if they don’t go after the biggest buck and leave their team in a quandary for the chance to play for a team that has the ability to buy a championship. In contrast to this attitude of course is the players of old. Great sports organizations of the past have always been those who knew what it meant to build a “team” mentality. After the legendary Red Auerbach’s death a couple of years ago, Bill Walton (a star on Auerbach’s team) was being interviewed on television one night and he said that the thing that had made the Boston Celtics the winningest basketball franchise in history was the fact that every guy in that locker room cared for everyone else in that locker room more than he cared for himself. What a contrast to today’s athlete and the mentality of sports organizations today, with few exceptions.

My son’s college baseball coach has emphasized to his players over and over again that he is not interested in player’s stats because what is important is what the “team” does, and emphasizing or focusing on stats takes away from the “team.” Coach Chuck Knox who once coached the Seattle Seahawks declared before a game one day that he knew that his team was going to win because “you cannot beat 45 guys who are all playing like a team,” and as a footnote they went on to win that game.

In my previous article from the book of Philippians, I discussed the fact that the joy of the Lord is to be the Christian’s strength, and I encouraged us to consider what is the source of joy in our life. I mentioned how the Philippians were Paul’s favorite church, one that had a special bond and allegiance to him, and one which hung with Paul through the good and the bad times as well. But, there was a major issue in the church in Philippi that Paul wanted to confront in the book. There was a lack of unity in the church, and in particular there were two women who were leaders but they fought and refused to get along. Paul addresses in the book the importance of humility and being of one mind.

At the beginning of chapter two, Paul asked the Philippians four rhetorical questions for which the assumed answer is affirmative: Is there any encouragement in Christ? Is there any consolation of love? Is there any fellowship of the Spirit? Is there any affection and compassion? He then went on to say that if they conclude that the answer to these questions is true, he in turn admonishes them to: “make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.”

These questions were designed to show how the work of God within the believer’s life is working towards a goal of making him humble and so he will be willing to be in unity and fellowship with the other members of the body of Christ, intent upon one purpose with them.

Paul then continues this theme in verse three of chapter two: “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.” From this verse we see what the enemies of unity within the church or any group are, “selfishness’ and "pride" or “empty conceit.” These are what kills the team concept whenever they crop up. They are what keeps a bunch of very gift and talented athletes from being able to set aside their selfish interests and ambitions for the betterment of the team.

In verse four he continues his admonishment: “do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

Finally, Paul places the crescendo on his admonishment using an illustration that we could hardly expect, yet one that is a perfect fit. Beginning in verse five, Paul sets before the Philippians the Lord Jesus as our example of humility and obedience: “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Paul tells the Philippians to have the same sort of “attitude” or thinking as the Eternal Son of God, the second personality of the Triune God (God is one being but consists of three persons, each of which are equal in all ways). The eternal Son of God did not hold onto the fact of His being equal with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, but was willing to lay aside His privileges and throne to come and take on humanity. In the incarnation, God was not limiting His omnipotence and omniscience by taking on human form, for we see that Jesus could control the forces of nature, know the thoughts of men, and even heal someone from a far distance. Rather, He added humanity to it, and became what we refer to as the Godman, fully God and fully man. Yet, He set aside His power and privileges to live as a man.

Consider the infinite greatness and majesty of the Lord, and His humbling of Himself to take on humanity in order to become the Savior of the world and die upon the cross to pay or atone for mankind’s sins. His humbling of Himself would be like one of us deciding to limit ourselves and be born and live our whole life out as a mosquito because of our great love of mosquitoes.

The fact of taking on humanity and living a life here in a finite human body is impressive enough. But, Paul says here that He also became a “bond-servant” (one who freely commits himself to serve as a slave to another), and that He also humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death upon a cross. Obedient in all things to His Father and the Law that He had created, Jesus Christ suffered the most horrible of deaths in going to the cross on Calvary’s hill. Having all power to halt the events, He allowed Himself to be beaten, given thirty-nine lashes, made to carry His cross to the hill, spit upon, railed against, stripped naked, have a crown of thorns pounded into His skull, nailed by His hands and feet to a cross, and even after death have a soldier’s spear thrust into His side to pierce and drain out His heart. Now that is a perfect example of humility. That is our example as Christians for how we are to humble ourselves before God and men.

In case you are wondering whether or not this humility thing is optional for a Christian, it is not. The scripture says that we who belong to Christ have been bought with a price by Him and that our life is not our own (1 Cor. 6:19-20). We who are Christians have given up our rights to the Lord, and we are His servants, servants to obey, bond-servants.

Everyone in the church is responsible to maintain unity. Its not just the responsibility of the leaders or the staff, it is equally each of our responsibility. On any team or group, just one person who puts themselves and their interests and ambitions above the group or team has the potential to destroy the effectiveness of the entire team.

Being humble does not mean that you cannot and should not be competitive in athletics, nor that you lose any competitive edge. But it does mean that you play your sport as unto the Lord, and you give Him the glory for all that you are able to accomplish. Many great athletes of the past have been humble committed Christians (Reggie White-football, the Doctor Julius Erving-basketball, Orel Herschiser-baseball, etc., etc.)

Here is an illustration that ought to serve well as a reminder. The year was 2003. The Cubs hadn’t won a World Series in 95 years, but it was looking like they finally were ready. It was Game 6 of the National League Championship Series and the Chicago Cubs were leading the Florida Marlins 3 to 2 in the series. The Cubs were ahead 3 to 0 in the 8th inning of this game, with one out. Moises Alou was playing the outfield when a fly ball was hit up against the fence just foul. Alou was in position and ready to jump up and snatch the ball just before it went over the fence, but a Cubs fan named Steve Bartman in the excitement of the game and wanting to have a very valuable souvenir for himself, deflected the ball from Alou causing it to land one row into the stands. This would have been the second out of the 8th inning and the Cubs up to that point in the game had great momentum. But, encouraged by Bartman’s interference the Marlins went on to score eight runs in that inning, and the Cubs, who had been leading handily lost the game 8-3, and, eventually lost the series in seven games. It was the actions of just one man, a man who was just a fan, who caused the team to lose all of their momentum, never to gain it back.

After Bartman interfered, the whole stadium started chanting, “Kill him!,” and security had to lead the man out of the stadium for his own protection. Eventually, because of the infamy of his name and image from television, Bartman had to move completely out of Chicago. The same kind of thing that Bartman did can happen in the church or on any team. So many churches and so many teams have been ravished because one member put his selfish interests and ambitions before the team. Sometimes this can happen as easily as Bartman simply sticking his mitt out in a thoughtless instance in time.

Here are some tips for the parents of athletes:

• Christian parents need to get a handle on keeping their son or daughter’s pride in check. They need to encourage their child from the earliest ages to ask themselves regularly what his/her motivation is for what he/she is doing? Why is he/she excelling at their sport?

• When your child emphasizes personal stats over how the team did, the child needs to a talking to.

• Someone once said, “The true test of a man’s humility is not when he is down on his luck but when he is successful!” How does your child act when he/she does well? Does he/she get puffed up and think that he/she is really something?

• How does your son or daughter who is excelling treat the other members on their team, especially the ones whose stats aren’t really that good?

• Is he/she a team player and willing to do whatever the team needs even if it is at the expense of personal stats or even preferences, and even if that might mean sitting the bench for a time or playing a small role? The sacrifice fly, bunt, or ground ball that advances a runner in baseball is all about “team” because it kills personal stats, but it is something that every baseball player must be willing to do.

• Is your child happy when he/she did good but the team loses? Is the child unhappy when the team won but his/her stats suffered? What are your child’s motivations?

David wrote in the Psalms, “Search me O Lord and see if there be any hurtful way in me.” Christian athletes need to allow the Lord to examine their hearts on a regular basis. The real statistic that counts in life is whether or not our lives are pleasing to the Lord. We were created for His glory and to be a grand expression of His grace and mercy in human flesh. We need to glorify the Lord not ourselves in all that we do.

Philippians #1: What is the Source of Your Joy?

It has been an interesting and yet painful past six months for all of us living around the world. It is not just in America that the economy has tanked in a manner unseen since the days of the 1930’s depression. Every person who is retired or considering a future retirement in the not too distant future has seen their future options become much more limited than they were previously. Some people are going to have to come out of retirement because their retirement funds were tied to the collapsed economy, and some people are considering whether they will ever be able to retire. All adults in America have found ourselves outside of our comfort zones and pinched in ways we hoped we would never experience.

I was talking with an NFL representative the other day and he was expressing how that NFL teams have already found themselves being significantly impacted by the failed economy. He brought up the fact that many other sports leagues long ago went bankrupt and ceased to exist, and that such a thing could happen to the NFL. I find that prospect very depressing. Hey, here’s an idea, what if Obama suggested a bail out for the rich professional athletes who find themselves overextended? I know I’m being sarcastic in bringing this up, but in my opinion that’s no more absurd a consideration as some of the ones that I have seen implemented… Yet, I ask myself what can I do about the situation I find myself and my family in? What can any of us do about the situation? Everything is going to play out according to God’s plan, and that is about all I can say...

I believe that part of the reason why these things have come upon the world, and America in specific, is because God wants to show to the church that was purchased by the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, what the source of their joy really is? And so I ask you, what is the source of your joy?

I take you to the book of Philippians in the New Testament. Paul the apostle wrote this epistle to a church that he called "my crown of joy," a church that he himself felt closest to, one that he personally loved so much that he said that they were in his heart: Phil. 1:7, “…is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart...” Paul goes on to say in this verse that the Philippians participated with him in all that he did: “since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me.” The Philippians were with Paul through thick and thin, good and bad. They were no fair weather friends to him.

At the city of Troas, early in Paul’s second missionary journey of the book of Acts, he had a vision of a man from Macedonia pleading with him, “Come over and help us.” So, Paul headed to Macedonia in the area of modern day Greece. This man is believed to be the Philippian jailer that Paul led to the faith after Paul was beaten and jailed when he got to the city of Philippi.

At the city of Philippi, chapter 16 of the book of Acts tells us how that church was formed. Paul met a group of women gathered for prayer at a river, and Lydia, a woman who sold purple, came to faith in Christ and became the first convert from Europe. She then started a church in her home. Paul later cast a demon out of a slave girl that was used by the people of the city for divination because she was going ahead of them telling everyone that they were servants of the most high God. This woman probably became the next convert into the church. Later, Paul and Silas were beaten and jailed for preaching the gospel, and as they were praising God and singing, an angel caused an earthquake and all of the jail cell doors opened. The Philippian jailer was about to fall on his sword knowing how he would be treated when the authorities discovered that the men in the jail had been freed from their cells, however Paul told the jailer that everything was OK and that they were all still in their cells. This man then asked Paul, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul’s reply was, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” The Philippian jailer came to faith along with his household, and he most likely next became part of the church in Philippi.

Paul loved the Philippian church like they were his own sons and daughters because they were his children in the faith. Likewise, just like they were his own children, whenever they did well he rejoiced in what they had done. And when they sorrowed, he sorrowed. When they were increased and blessed, he was increased and blessed. Paul primarily wrote the epistle of Philippians to the Philippian church to thank them for their financial contributions and help and also to encourage them to unity and being of one mind since there were a couple of the leaders in the church who were disputing and at odds with each other (they were probably leaders of different house churches in Philippi).

But, the main word and theme in the epistle of Philippians is that of “joy.” Every remembrance of the Philippians brought “joy” to Paul, and he had “joy” in every prayer he prayed for them (Phil. 1:3-5). He even commands them in Phil. 4:4 to “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!”

People often have sought to have joy but sought in all of the wrong places, as illustrated by these quotes I found on a web page:

· Unbelief — Voltaire, the French philosopher, who was an avid unbeliever wrote, “I wish I had never been born.”
· Pleasure — Lord Byron (English poet known for his “life of pleasure”) wrote concerning his life, “The worm, the canker, and grief are mine alone.”
· Money — Jay Gould, the American millionaire, had plenty of that. When dying, he said: “I suppose I am the most miserable man on earth.”
· Position and Fame — Benjamin Disraeli, one time prime minister of Great Britain who enjoyed more than his share of both position and fame, wrote, “Youth is a mistake; manhood a struggle; old age a regret.”
· Military Glory — Alexander the Great conquered the known world in his day. Having done so, he wept in his tent, before he said, “There are no more worlds to conquer.”

Joy for the believer in Christ is inseparably linked to fellowship with Christ and is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:24) in his life and linked to obedience (John 15:9-11). The joy of the unbeliever is a giddy joy that is an emotion determined by circumstances. But, the joy of the believer involves a choice to have joy and essentially it is an attitude of faith and trusting in God, an attitude of counting and considering your blessings in life instead of constantly considering your setbacks and losses.

Michael Gunn has written the following on a web page on the internet: “Philippians has been a book about the “Fellowship of Joy” found in a relationship with Christ, and His mission in the world. Paul’s joy is not a fanciful joy separate from real world living. So many struggling people eschew help because those that want to help simply “Don’t understand!” Or, “No one feels my pain.” This can’t be said of Paul and the Philippians. Paul was in prison, facing imminent death. The Philippians faced relational division, heresy, ostracism, persecution, poverty and possibly even death. In spite of this Paul urged the church to find their way to God’s peace, “Which surpasses all understanding!””

The joy of which Paul writes about is not a joy that is based upon our circumstances, but rather one that comes from the Lord and exists in spite of our circumstances. I don’t normally quote Karl Barth, but I will here. Quoting again from the same web site, Karl Barth has written the following about this joy: “That Joy in Philippians is a defiant ‘Nevertheless!’” The idea of rejoicing (Which has been used to mark off sections in this book) has come in the context of personal turmoil (Philippians 2:18; 3:1, and here in 4:4). As one commentator says, “Rejoice certainly does defy the thankless, complaining nature of humanity and human custom throughout history.” Rejoicing in Christ is rooted in salvation, and not circumstantial blessing. This is not a trumped up, plastic smile rejoicing, but a real joy in the midst of human pain. The joy that comes from a hope that is outside of our control. It’s a joy in spite of… It’s a joy that allows you to work through human relational problems, because this kind of joy releases you from the need to be right. This rejoicing is done “Always,” not circumstantially. If you are trying to find joy outside of Jesus, you will always be joyless, and you will continually be chasing harmful relationships and lifestyles in order to fill your giant void in your life. We are created to find our happiness in the Lord. Nehemiah 8:10 reminds us that, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” To this US Senate Chaplain Loyd Ogilvie adds, “Rejoicing in the Lord is not a luxury, it’s a necessity! In the midst of our pain, we cry out defiantly and embrace a “Nevertheless” mentality, “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice!”"

The book of Philippians speaks of numerous occasions we as Christians have for experiencing joy, including:

· 1:1-3-11 Joy in fellowship – in the world, at best you have friendship
· 1:4 Joy in prayer
· 1:12-30 Joy in affliction/suffering – in the world, you endure without purpose or hope
· 1:25 Joy in the faith
· 2:1-30 Joy in submission – in the world, there is promotion of self
· 2:18 Joy in sacrifice
· 2:28 Joy in Christian relationship
· 2:29 Joy of Christian hospitality
· 3:1 Joy in rejoicing in the Lord
· 3:1-4:3 Joy in salvation by grace – in the world, the hopelessness of works
· 4:1 Joy with other believers
· 4:4-19 Joy in spiritual blessings – in the world, physical accumulation of things or experiences

When you get to chapter 4 and Paul tells you to worry about nothing, you can see that worrying is a signal that our joy is based upon our circumstances not in our relationship with Christ. Then, Paul will go on in chapter 4 to talk about how we need to control our minds and the things that we think about (whatever is pure, lovely, of good repute, etc.) in order to experience and know the joy and peace of God.

Paul had a proper perspective on life, and this enabled him to continually have joy. He knew that God is in control of all that happens in our lives. He knew that God is behind the scenes orchestrating what happens, fulfilling His plans. He knew that God raises up and brings men to power (Dan. 2:21; 4:17; John 19:11; Rom. 13:1), and that He is sovereign and self-determining and in spite of the wickedness of men and angels He brings about His will and plans upon the earth. This truth is seen, for instance, in what the scriptures tell us about Christ’s crucifixion being a wicked plan carried out by wicked men, but one that was also determined by God before all creation: Acts 2:23, “Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death”; 1 Peter 1:20, “He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.” Paul knew that God is causing all things to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28), and He knew that the Lord promises to meet our needs each day if we seek Him first (Matt. 6:33). He knew that we are not to worry about tomorrow but just concentrate upon today: Matt. 6:34, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Paul wrote in Phil. 1:6 that he was confident (or knew) that God was going to continue that work that He had begun in the lives of the Philippians when they had come to saving faith in Christ: “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Paul knew that God never begins something that He does not complete, that is not the nature of God. Paul doesn’t negate the importance of our willful choices as people in saying this though, for in verse 12 of the very next chapter he states: “work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”

I you were in a horrible Roman prison of the first century, what would your perspective on life or your ministry be? Would having joy be dependent upon getting out of that hell hole? In Phil. 1:12-18, Paul reveals that he was content in his situation and that he knew his life was right on course with God's plans. He states that even his own current imprisonment for the preaching of the gospel wasn’t hindering his ministry and God using him, but rather expanding it, because the guards he was chained to were hearing the gospel, and because many in the church were now preaching the gospel because he was imprisoned, even though the motives of many were wrong (something that Paul didn’t concern himself with): “Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice.”

What is the joy meter reading in your life, oh reader? What is the source of your joy? Are you experiencing the joy of the Lord as your strength? Or, is your joy tied to your circumstances like the rest of this world that is perishing and soon to incur God’s judgment? I tell you to rejoice in the Lord always, and why not, it’s a lot more fun to laugh than to cry…

If you are an athlete or coach and you are able to play your sport today, then rejoice. If you are a parent of an athlete who is able to play his/her sport today, then rejoice. If you are just a sports fan and you are able to watch your sport today, then rejoice. Rejoice in spite of any circumstance, any set back, any trial, because of what you know about God and His sovereign will and plans for your life and mankind! And do not worry in the slightest about tomorrow, live life for Jesus today and worry only about today…