Let Me Win!
“Therefore
we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud
of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the
sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with
endurance the race that is set before us, looking
unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,
who for the joy that was set before Him endured the
cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the
right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews
12:1-2).
We were touched by the story of
Natalie Babian, who was mentioned in a Long Beach,
CA “Press-Telegram” article of June 10, 2005 (page
B1), about the “Special Olympics.” Here’s what they
said about her: “Natalie
Babian, 25, doesn’t know anything about Olympian
Florence Griffith-Joyner’s achievements in the
100-and 200-meter sprints or 400-meter relays in
world championship competitions. What Babian does
know is that when she competes in the 100-and
50-meter sprints and 400-meter relay during the
Special Olympics Southern California Summer Games,
she feels she is the fastest woman on Earth. “I am
fast,” Natalie said. “I am faster than the wind.”
In an article a few days later, it was reported that
she did win the Gold Medal in Softball Throwing.
The Special Olympics has a
terrific oath that is administered to participants:
“Let me win, but if I
cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”
Natalie is brave. We should be encouraged by her
confidence, for there are many in the church who
need more confidence to “run”
in the “race” that
God has before us. Scripture is clear that God
gives gifts of service to His people that may be
compared to physical abilities, and yet few use them
for the good of humanity as the Lord intended.
There is a danger, of course, that the gifts of God,
whether spiritual or physical, can become objects of
pride, but our Heavenly Father does not intend for
that to happen.
Many years ago, when Cassius
Clay was the heavyweight boxing champion of the
world, even before his name was changed to Muhammad
Ali, it was apparent that though he seemed
unbeatable, there was probably someone in Mongolia
or Uganda who could train and beat him, if he even
knew Cassius Clay existed; if he even knew there was
such a thing as “professional boxing.” When
Muhammad Ali shouted to the television cameras and
the world, “I’m the
greatest!” the sad reality is that he
probably wasn’t. He just thought he was, and that’s
the problem with the sin of “pride” that besets so
many. We aren’t as good as we think we are. Our
presumed abilities, such as they are, fade away in
time. We desperately need the Lord – we always
did. And we need to CARE for one another.
We are at God’s best when we
are servants. Jesus said it clearly, so there is no
misunderstanding: “Whoever
desires to become great among you, let him be your
servant, and whoever desires to be first among you,
let him be your slave” (Matthew 20:26-27).
To be “great” in the kingdom of God is to actually
place the needs of others ahead of your own. To
“win” is to do God’s will by helping and encouraging
your neighbor.
There is an international award
called the “Pierre de
Coubertin International Fair Play Trophy,”
named for the founder of the modern Olympic Games.
It has been awarded annually for decades to those in
sports who have demonstrated nobility of spirit.
It’s big news in Europe, but not in the United
States. The trophy once went to a Hungarian tennis
player who pleaded with officials to give his
opponent more time to recover from a cramp, and
another time to a high school basketball coach who
forfeited the Georgia (US) State Championship after
he found out that one of his players was
scholastically ineligible. The first trophy given
went to an Italian bobsledder named Eugenio Monti in
the two-man bobsled event at the 1964 Innsbruck
Olympics. Monti was the leader after his final run.
The only one who could beat him was Tony Nash of
Great Britain. As Nash and his teammate got ready
for the final run, they discovered that a critical
bolt on their sled had snapped at the last moment.
When Monti was informed, he took the corresponding
bolt from his own sled and sent it up to Nash. Nash
fixed his sled, came hurtling down the course to set
a record and won the gold medal!
In the years that Paul the
Apostle was in active ministry, the Olympic Games
were big! “Everybody” knew about the games and
young men would dedicate their lives toward
excellence in a single race. Paul was likely a fan
as we see in places like 1 Corinthians 9:24, where
he related training for the Olympic Games to
succeeding in the Christian life. He said, “Do
you not know that those who run in a race all run,
but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that
you may obtain it.” He continued the idea,
telling us to be “temperate”
(use self-control), to run with CERTAINTY, to HIT
the OPPONENT (not just swing our fists in the air),
and he used other “Games” imagery (1 Corinthians
9:24-27).
No one knows who wrote the Book
of Hebrews, but some have thought that Paul the
Apostle did, due to similarities in style and
subject matter. Hebrews 13:18-24, by the way,
demonstrates that the recipients of the Book KNEW
who the author was. In our Scripture for today, the
phrase “let us lay aside
every weight” (Hebrews 12:1) is another
reminder of the Olympic Games. The author had seen
that those who raced in the games, trained with
weights on their legs to be “faster
than the wind” in actual competition.
The idea of the reference in
Hebrews is that “sin”
is a “weight” which
slows us down. The time for training is over. The
race is at hand. And we are to run like “the
wind,” which is accomplished by getting rid
of “the sin which so easily
ensnares us.”
Are you a sinner? This
question can easily be answered in your life by
taking the following one-question quiz: What absorbs
you? TV? Video Games? Hobbies? Sex? Alcohol?
Reading? The list goes on, by adding items that fill
YOUR life. In the First Commandment God decreed, “You
shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus
20:3). Sin is breaking God’s Law, and if our lives
are FILLED with “busy” behavior that tends to be
FIRST in our thoughts, we are guilty of the sin of
idolatry. That’s why many want His Commandments
removed from our lives – They can pretend God’s Law
doesn’t exist. But it does.
We have so much. We have God’s
Book, the Bible, to help us identify our need and
show us how sin may be defeated in our lives. We
are given God’s Holy Spirit, who comes to our aid
and helps us. We need faith and “Jesus
(is) the author and
finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). He 1)
shows us we are sinners, and 2) heals us of our
sin. Let’s pray:
Father, let me WIN in Your
sight! I want victory in Christ Jesus! Forgive me
and save me from my sin. I receive You, Lord.
Thank You for saving me. In Jesus Name. Amen.
