Daily Devotional for July 9, 2012

Ephesians 4:1-3
As a prisoner of the Lord, I beg you to live in a way that is worthy of the people God has chosen to be his own. Always be humble and gentle. Patiently put up with each other and love each other. Try your best to let God’s Spirit keep your hearts united. Do this by living at peace.

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.

A post on Facebook this morning noted that our high school football team gets “back to work” today. This got me thinking about sporting events – and how enjoy attending and supporting our alma mater, young friends and relatives who participate… and our community at large. It also reminded me that there are “fans” at these events who behave badly. To be honest, there are a handful of people I prefer not to sit near at sporting events, because their conduct is so off-putting. Even worse, some of these folks are active members of local area congregations who profess to be faith-filled Christians!

Some of these same folks are quick to complain noisily about calls by referees, the lack of playing time for a particular team member, and how poorly the coach does his/her job. If people spent as much time and energy on solving some of our country’s biggest problems as they do debating issues like these - or the newest uniform designs for the Arkansas Razorbacks football team - we’d be amazed at the progress that could be made!

So what does this have to do with today’s scripture passage? There are two things to glean from this:

1. We must do everything we can to be patient with those who behave in an unbecoming manner. When our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ show out at sporting events, on social media, or anywhere else, we must still love them and exhibit patience – even if they try our own! If we lash out at those who are misbehaving, we have become just as unlovely – and we dishonor God. We don’t have to sit near these people, but we can’t publicly lash out – or worse yet, become one of them!
2. We must check our own behavior and see where we are missing the mark. Are we behaving in a manner that is worthy of the title “Disciple of Christ?” Do we show patience and tolerance – hold our tongue and act with humility – even when we disagree with the ref’s call or the coach’s decision? When the other guy publicly speaks with hatred and untruth about our favorite political candidate, do we strike back with an equally vile comment or presentation toward his/her choice?

Just because I choose not to sit near a friend who is raucous at sporting events doesn’t mean I don’t love this person. And on occasion, I may privately speak to a friend – after careful consideration and prayer – and let him/her know I am concerned about his/her tone or others’ perception of these behaviors. But the most important thing we can do is to live by example… to behave in a manner that honors God and our allegiance to Him – and to patiently love the other guy… even when he/she is anything but lovely.

As we prepare for yet another school year and dozens of sporting events – not to mention the political campaigns that are in full force and countless other issues that are testing our mettle these days – let’s take a few minutes to study this scripture passage. Ask God to fill you with His Spirit of unity and peace – to show you how to treat others with humility, love, gentleness and patience. Call on God to help you guard your tongue and your thoughts… and to always act in a way that is worthy of His blessings. And if you find yourself needing a new seat at a sporting event, come and sit near me! I’ll be the one biting my tongue!

©2012 Debbie Robus