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Consider this photograph.
Perhaps it looks familiar; maybe you can recognize the place and event.
Maybe you can recognize someone in the crowd.
Who is this man in the
foreground pointing upward? Is he a rap singer declaring himself number
one in popularity? Is he a sport's hero claiming a championship victory? Is he a politician whipping up the crowd and
pronouncing that he will win the election?
No, of course, the man in the
foreground is Doug Grote, the Minister of Recreation at Cool Spring Church.
The event is the Upward Basketball 2006 Awards Celebration, held in March of
2006 at St. Paul's Baptist Church. I did not take this photograph myself,
but it fascinates me and lifts my spirit. Closer observation shows that
not only is Doug boldly pointing upward, but that his head is bowed and eyes are
closed in prayer. The audience is following along, also pointing upward
and in prayer. The audience is composed of children, parents and
relatives, team coaches and volunteers.
Without question, the Upward program
has been a huge success both locally, nationally, and now even internationally.
Through sports such as basketball, soccer, flag football, and cheerleading,
children are introduced to Jesus during practices and on game days. Prayer
before every game is central. Parents hear or read devotionals at every
game. Emphasis is placed on sportsmanship and Christlikeness, not on
winning at whatever cost.
At Cool Spring Baptist Church and
partnering churches such as New Hanover Presbyterian, Mechanicsville Baptist,
Fairmount Christian, and New Highland Baptist, thousands of children have
participated in Upward sports over the five years between 2002 and 2006.
They have learned about Jesus and memorized scripture, and many have come to
accept Jesus as their personal Savior. Upward is a massive volunteer
effort, requiring substantial time commitments from hundreds of volunteers for
each sport to be a success.
With all of this being said,
shouldn't we all take the credit for the success of Upward? Why point
upward in the photograph above?
Not to us, O
LORD, not to us
but to your name be the glory,
because of your love and faithfulness.
- Psalm 115:1 (NIV)
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do,
do it all for the glory of God.
- 1 Corinthians 10:31
In stark contrast to the ways of the world, Christians do not take pride in
or become conceited with work that is done for God's kingdom. Instead,
the glory is reflected back to God, who has enabled successes through us by
the Holy Spirit.
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To Show that God is Number One in Our Lives!
For from him and
through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever!
- Romans 11:36 (NIV)
As Rick Warren wrote in The Purpose Driven Life, it's not about us,
it's about God. In chapter 7, he wrote:
It's all for him. The ultimate goal of the universe is to show the
glory of God. It is the reason for everything that exists, including
you. God made it all for his glory. Without God's glory, there
would be nothing.
Putting God number one in our lives puts us on the
right path toward developing a relationship with God and Jesus.
Self-centeredness, arrogance, and egotism drive us away from Christ.
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To Set an Example for Others to Follow!
In the
photograph above, Doug is humbly thanking God and giving credit to God for
all that has been done through the Upward ministry. Imagine how many
children in the crowd are seeing this act of submission to God, and imagine
the example that this will set in their lives? Imagine if every sports
hero, teen idol, or politician humbly thanked God for the success in their
lives and work.
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To Boast in the Lord!
Let
him who boasts boast in the Lord. For it is not the one who commends
himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.
- 2 Corinthians 10:17 (NIV)
The Apostle Paul
wrote about "boasting in the Lord" to the Corinthians. He was quoting
from a passage in Jeremiah:
This is what
the LORD says:
"Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength
or the rich man boast of his riches,
but let him who boasts boast about this:
that he understands and knows me,
that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,”
declares the LORD.
- Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NIV)
Again, it is not about ourselves and our worldly accomplishments that we
boast. Instead, we boast about God's accomplishments through us,
giving thanks for His Son who died for our sins so that we may gain
salvation and eternal life with God. So go ahead and boast in the
Lord, and thank Him for all He has done in our lives.
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