“Tricky Alliance”

 Happy New Year 

Is being a sports fan good or bad? Yes and No is my answer. It all depends on whether your little ‘god’ of sports, are summed up in Christ or abstracted from him? Ok, Tornado Fans, What’s your New Year’s resolution? Is it, “There’s always next year”?

He is not afraid of Bad News; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord” Psalm 12:7 

I am an unabashed ISU Cyclone and Denver Broncos football fan, but I do not write as a fan today—rather, as a Christian. Loyalty forever True, has always been my new year’s resolution as a child of God. We are blessed to have joined in and participated. Upright people don’t fear setbacks and do not constantly worry about what could be lost. They know God will never lose them. All the Glory to God!

The Christian life is a life of day-by-day, hour-by-hour trust in the promises of God. Which helps us, guides us, takes care of me/us, forgiving and leads into a future of holiness and joy. But I often find my life, at the end of each year influenced by “New Year resolutions” (I will identify as sports sometimes) similar to the way my computer becomes infected with a virus. Garbage In, Garbage Out. How about you? Or is this a Perception vs Reality moment about sin?

There is no difference between December 31 and January 1. Does something mystical occurs at midnight on December 31? The Bible does not speak for or against the concept of New Year’s resolutions. However, if a Christian determines to make a New Year’s resolution, what kind of resolution should he or she make?

The practice of making New Year’s resolutions goes back over 3,000 years to the ancient Babylonians. The Babylonians made promises to their gods at the start of each year that they would return borrowed objects and pay their debts. The Romans began each year by making promises to the god Janus, for whom the month of January is named. In the medieval era, the knights took a vow to re-affirm their commitment to chivalry. WoW

Common New Year’s resolutions today are commitments to quit smoking, to stop drinking, to manage money more wisely, and to spend more time with family or a new one sports fans, spending time trolling tweet about your favorite college sports team. By far, the most common New Year’s resolution is to lose weight, in conjunction with exercising more and eating more healthily. These are all good goals to set other than the trolling tweets. However, 1 Timothy 4:8 instructs us to keep exercise in perspective: “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” The vast majority of New Year’s resolutions, even among Christians, are in relation to physical things. This should not be.

Our rootedness in this fallen world should serve our longing for rootedness in the world to come Hebrews 11:16. We have already had the opportunity to experience family, fellowship, camaraderie, love, and place, however imperfectly. To act as though we come from nowhere except prideful longing resolutions are a commentary on our understanding of the past as well as the future.

These longings are only ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ and his steadfast kingdom community, the church. Nevertheless, it is most natural that these longings be reflected in limited but genuine ways in our lives. I consider each resolution fashioned as a sport in a sense to be a competitive display of the performing arts. Is this capable of displaying truth, beauty and goodness? Herein lies a general problem. It is not only those who consider(resolutions) sports a waste of time who sever it from Christian living, far too often, those Christians who enjoy athletics do the same. Our responsibility is to take every thought captive to obey Jesus (2 Cor 10:5).

As we overload our Christian computers, with apps that need to be, “rebooted” with a resolution challenge so that they work again each year.  The kind of rebooted New Year’s resolutions delight, that will satisfy our hearts infinitely more in Christ, than if we forsake him and put our trust in ourselves or in the promises of this world. God’s promises are not automatic. It is the result of daily diligence and it’s the result of proper fear and how we participate into God’s “rest”?

We as Christian’s with a rightly ordered, Christ-centered worldview are uniquely in a position to enjoy athletic competition as a good gift from God, and his or her sports(resolutions) loyalties as a demonstration of our God-given rootedness in time, place, family and community. Of course, we can make an idol out of different resolutions, losing weight, exercising, diet, drinking, smoking, family or allegiance to our favorite sports team. But the gospel does not obliterate these cultural connections. It reinterprets them in light of the gospel story and our responsibility to seek first the kingdom of God (Matt 6:33, 1 Cor2:2).

I'm thankful that we are taught as children of God to say, “God Bless You,” but believe it or not, I'm equally thankful that others say, “Go Cyclones! But I am most thankful that — whether we are Buckeyes or Longhorns, Hawk-Eyes or Sooners, Broncos or Navy— in Christ we all say, “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev 22:20).

So, what sort of New Year’s alliance resolution should a Christian make?

(1) pray to the Lord for wisdom James 1:5 regarding what resolutions, if any, He would have you make; (2) pray for wisdom as to how to fulfill the goals God gives you; (3) rely on God’s strength to help you; (4) find an responsible partner who will help you and encourage you; (5) don’t become discouraged with occasional failures; instead, allow them to motivate you further; (6) don’t become proud or vain, but give God the glory in everything we do! 

Dear Lord and Father of mankind Forgive our foolish ways.

Re-clothe us in our rightful minds, in purer lives Thy service finds,

In deeper reverence, praise, guide and reboot us Lord. Re-clothe us in our rightful minds. At this moment we let go of all those things that cause any destructive input in our lives. Nudge us back to a healthy place with the allure of your love. Today, reboot our resolutions(sports), so that we may reappear fresh and clean and ready to rumble., in the name of Jesus, Amen

God Bless You and This Ministry!