A Challenge to Get Into the Action
One of my favorite basketball players, a former student whose family has become like family to me over the years, is a competitor to his core. I love watching him play and have watched hundreds of his games in the past 10+ years. One thing I love about him is how he always wants to be right in the thick of the action, like any true competitor does. He’s a talented player, and he spends most of his time between buzzers out on the court. But whenever he’s on the bench getting a breather, nine times out of 10, you will find him sitting right next to the coach—as close to the action as possible and making it clear by his presence and body language that he’s ready and eager to get back into the game. It doesn’t matter whether the team is up by 20 or getting blown out, and it doesn’t matter if he’s personally having a career high night or is on the struggle bus. No matter what, he wants to be in the middle of the action. Always! Honestly, sometimes I shake my head and smile when I glance over at the bench and see that somehow he slithered his way up and into the seat closest to the coach yet again. This boy knows what he’s doing, and he pulls out all the stops to be on the court at all times.
To be honest, this is something I need to get better at in my walk with Christ. I am so hungry, all the time, for knowledge about Jesus and the Bible. I love studying the Word, listening to sermons and podcasts, reading books, talking to God, and spending time in community with other Christians to learn from them. But God has been convicting my heart—I need to get into the game. Taking IN knowledge, insight and wisdom from the Lord is wonderful. But if I’m just taking IN and not giving back OUT, then something is off.
The book of James talks about how essential action is to our faith. You may have heard a couple of these verses before.
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. -James 2:14-17
A few verses later, James says that our faith is actually made complete by what we do (James 2:22). But before going any further, let’s clarify that our works do not earn us salvation! When we simply believe that Jesus is Lord, He gives us the free gift of eternal life. His sacrifice of His own life on the cross purchased our freedom from sin and death. Nothing we do could ever earn that.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. -Ephesians 2:8-9
Still, Jesus does not save us so that we can just sit in our own safety, content in knowing we are headed for eternity with Him. No way! We are called to serve others, encourage them to live as disciples of Jesus, and live fruitful lives that have eternal significance. He wants us to get in the game and then stay in the action! Can you imagine if my basketball player went to practice and team meetings every day to simply learn the plays and advance his skills—and then just preferred to sit on the bench during games? Not a chance in the world, I promise. He wants to take what he’s learned and put it to use! As believers, we put our knowledge and Holy Spirit insight to use when we get busy doing God’s work instead of just keeping it all stored up for ourselves.
The gospel of John shares some of Jesus’ words that helped to drive home this truth for me. In John 4, after Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well, His disciples were telling Him to eat something. The woman had gone back into her town to share what Jesus had taught her, and now the townspeople were making their way toward Him. It seems like the disciples were making sure He was keeping up His bodily strength! They could perhaps tell He had a long day ahead of Him. Jesus responded by turning their minds from the temporal to the eternal. He told them that He eats a different kind of food.
“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. -John 4:35-36
For Jesus, the “food” that satisfied Him was doing the work of His Father. He wasn’t focused on what He was taking in, but rather on what He was giving out to other people. And as He saw the townspeople walking out toward Him, His eyes saw a field that was ripe for harvest! Can you imagine if Jesus had kept all of His knowledge about God, the Holy Spirit, discipleship, the church and Christian community inside His mind? What good would it have done there?! I’m so thankful He was laser-focused on doing the will of God the Father. Like food satisfies our bodies, doing God’s work satisfied His soul.
Can you say the same thing? I’m definitely still a work in progress. I so love uncovering the mysteries and treasures of Scripture. They fill my heart and mind with incredible joy and excitement! But I’m working on challenging myself to not just take in—but to also give out. Jesus prayed these words as He came near to the end of His life on earth, and I want them to be true for me, too, as I approach my final days before entering into eternity. Talking to God, He said:
I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. -John 17:4
Are you as desperate to be in the game as my basketball player is? Or are you just sitting in church pews and walking around with air pods, listening to songs and sermons, taking in all the good stuff? Don’t just take in, give out. Get in the game. My prayer for you—and me!—is that the food that satisfies you would be doing the will of God!