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1 Cor 9:25 And everyone who competes in the games exercises
self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a
perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. (NAS)
I have really enjoyed watching television coverage of this
year's Olympic Games in Greece.
I have been an enthusiastic 'watcher' of the Games since
Montreal in 1976 but have vivid memories of events in Munich in
1972 and Mexico in 1968 even though I was just 7 when Mary
Peters won Gold for Britain.
This year the performance of Kelly Holmes in the 800 & 1500 has
been inspirational and the Gold medal for Britain's 4 x 100
men's relay team astounded everyone especially the favourites
Team USA who came in 2nd!
Earlier this week at the Games, one of the young ladies in the platform diving was struggling to make the finals of the competition.
She had missed the finals in Sydney in 2000 by one place with
only the top twelve divers move on after four dives.
After the last competitor who could have bumped her out of the
top twelve had gone and not passed her, her team-mate and her
coach came to let her know the good news.
'Are you sure?", she kept asking again and again as she was so convinced that history had repeated itself. This young athlete was afraid to believe her friends with the good news.
She was too frightened to allow herself to believe again that
her dreams had been realised only to have them crushed again.
Her heart would not have been able to stand that pain.
Just like her fellow Olympians she has invested more than four years of her life to the sport of diving with a level of commitment that few of us really understand.
However, compare this lofty mortal goal to eternity.
To be unsure of your place in eternity with so much at stake, asking over and over again, 'Are you sure?", would be agony.
However, the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ crushed the power
of sin, and the power of the resurrection of the Lord broke the
power of death.
There is no greater certainty than the victory of the cross. Any
one who accepts Jesus' perfect life and salvation for the
tattered rags of their own can be sure.
Is there a commitment on the part of the believer? Yes, of course. But that should come out of gratitude and love for the Saviour.
The only requirement for the believer is submission, and we are
even given the ability to do that so we have nothing we can
claim as a contribution to our salvation.
The work was all done on the cross.
Are you sure? Eph 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, that no one should boast. (NAS) |