Title Discovering the truth through athletics
Contents
2 Timothy 2:5 Discovering the truth through athletics
Last Monday, the World Baseball Classic (WBC) final was held in Los Angeles, USA. Even those who are not very interested in athletics watched it with great interest because it was a rivalry between Korea and Japan. Even though it was Monday, Koreans living in Los Angeles also came to the stadium to cheer for the Korean team. In Korea, at that time, people gathered at Jamsil Baseball Stadium and said, "Dae-Korea!" and cheered hard.
At first, Japan scored a point. And Korea also scored one point with Choo Shin-soo's home run, making it the tie. And Japan again scored two points. Korea also scored two points dramatically, and the game went back to the starting point and overtime was played. It's a game that makes you sweat. My heart is pounding and pounding. However, they lost to Japan in overtime. A sigh comes out. Oh, I feel bad. I watched the game without eating dinner... I'm disappointed. I couldn't sleep properly that night. I tossed and turned around like that, and when it was time for early morning worship, I went to church.
And I prayed. “God, I prayed that I would win this game, but why did I lose it? In the Bible, I saw that God was interested in the politics, economy, society, military, culture, and all aspects of the people of Israel and worked Himself. Didn't he play the game himself and let us win? Maybe God is not good at sports, so he doesn't have much interest in it? I like people who like sports, but maybe God doesn't like me?"
1. You must not enter the exam.
We can see that in the heart of the person who asked this question, there was a test similar to the doubt we have today. "Why does Korea, with so many people praying, lose to Japan? Why does the orthodox Hallelujah soccer team lose to the heretic Seongnam Ilhwa?" If this is not answered properly, we will always be put to the test when our team, whom I prayed for in athletics, loses. That is, it is necessary not to pass the exam in any case.
First, the answer to this question. God loves not only believers but also unbelievers. Because unbelievers are also created by God. We too were unbelievers, but we must not forget that we were saved by God's grace. However, there is a difference in the way God's love is manifested for believers and unbelievers. Believers are given common grace + special grace, and unbelievers are given common grace.
Common grace is a grace given to all people. God made everyone reap what they sow. This is common grace. It is only natural that if you invest hard and work hard, you will reap good results. In the case of Seongnam Ilhwa, they chose a good manager from the beginning and invested a lot in soccer. This led them to three consecutive K-League titles in 1993-95. And Seongnam won the championship again after that. Such work can be said to belong to common grace. They are reaping what they sow.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is often the case that you take a test while playing sports. Korea's Yong-gyu Lee, who was hit in the head with a blank ball by a Japanese pitcher in this baseball game, was very angry. In the finals, I tried to retaliate with my skills, but that didn't go my way. If Lee Yong-gyu hated the Japanese player who hit his head like that and spends his whole life, Lee Yong-gyu's life would not be good. Just as you can develop a hatred for someone during a sporting event, so there are many possibilities in the game of life to meet and sometimes hate the person who hurt you.
However, such tests are not good for long periods of time. You're only hurting yourself. Tests should be eliminated quickly. Hatred must be removed and dissolved with forgiveness and love. Even as a couple, hatred comes in when you live. If that hatred stays in your heart for a long time and becomes a grudge, you become an enemy rather than a married couple. The same goes for social life and work life. Even while living in the church, there can be people you hate. In that case, you must overcome the test quickly. Otherwise, you can ruin your entire life. Second, it is the discovery of truth through athletics.
2. Losing is also beneficial.
Not everyone likes to lose while playing sports. Winning an athletic match feels good. Conversely, it feels bad. Although this is true not only in athletics, but also in general competition. When I came to Canada, there was a music competition called 'Kiwanis'. It is a competition where musicians of various instruments come together to compete. At the end of all performances, a score is assigned, and gold, silver, and bronze medals are awarded. If you do better, you'll also get a sizable prize.
My daughter went too. My grades were bad. I didn't get anything. Just coming home empty-handed, my daughter says. "Ah- I feel bad!" And three years later, I went to the competition again. This time I won 4 gold medals. I also got a prize. It felt good. It was the first money my daughter earned, so I paid tithing, my dad gave me pocket money, and my mom gave me pocket money. It seems that winning is better than losing. However, if you keep winning, it is easy for people to become arrogant. They have no personality and eat them. They do not understand the feelings of the weak and sometimes become arrogant.
I was not in a good mood because I lost to Japan in the baseball game this time. I ate dinner and just slept. While I was sleeping, I tossed and turned to and fro and prayed. “If I had won this match, I would have been in a good mood, so I ate a lot of rice in the middle of the night and my diet went back to failure... Rather, because I lost the game, I had no taste, and the diet went well, so that’s also beneficial.” But somehow, losing to Japan is not enough.
However, I realized the truth while praying at dawn. "Whether you win or lose baseball, you have to believe in Jesus... Those Japanese players must believe in Jesus, and Korean players must also believe in Jesus... Hitting a home run in a baseball game doesn't mean you'll get a home run award in heaven. Athletes die, all losers die... What will happen after that? Oh no. Believe in Jesus."
But if our Korean team had won, we would not have thought of this truth because we were drunk with joy. You will just eat, drink, and have fun while immersed in the compliments from the Korean media. In other words, sadness and defeat can be the channel through which you realize the truth. When many people accept Jesus, it is not the time to eat well and live well, but many problems and hardships to come. Therefore, the Bible speaks the truth like this: “It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes” (Psalm 119:71).
Everyone, in baseball and other sports, sometimes you lose and sometimes you win. Even if you feel bad about losing a game, it is often a great benefit in the future. Therefore, even in the proverb, “failure is the mother of success”, we must realize that failure, defeat, and hardship make us more equipped and character. So the Bible says: “Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sorrow on the face is good for the heart.” .
3. You must play according to the law.
This is today's text. "If a player does not play according to the law, he will not receive a crown" (2 Timothy 2:5) As you know, there are different rules in the game. If you break that rule, you will later lose your prize. Even if you deceive the judgment of the world and win to the end in this world, eat well and live well, everything will be revealed before God, who is the judge of the kingdom of heaven.
We have rules for the game of life. It is the word of God. Our members must live their lives by following the rules of the game of life in this Word of God. Otherwise, it will be of no use. All trophies of victory and glory in this world will rust apart from the Word of God. Even if the win rate is not good on this earth, those who believe in God will eventually receive the prize of the real victor in heaven.
Even if life in a foreign land is difficult, we must keep the rules of loving God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our will. We must also follow the rules of love to love our neighbors as ourselves. Sometimes, we also have to keep the rule to love our enemies. If you don't follow these rules and win the game of your life, it's useless later. On the contrary, it becomes a number. Today's conclusion. Playing the athletics of your life, please don't take the test. Don't be discouraged if you lose. Losing is sometimes beneficial. And I bless you in the name of the Lord that you will be the final winner by playing according to the law.