The Parable of Sports

Just as good sportsman is a class act in both victory and defeat, a mature believer exhibits sincere worship and trust in God in both prosperity and adversity.

The commitment to worship God—to exult and rejoice in him—must be through both seasons of fruitfulness and seasons of drought, because Christ remains exalted through all seasons, and the salvation we have in Christ remains true through every circumstance.

But Christians are more than just individual followers of Christ; we exist as a team, a fellowship around the furtherance of the gospel, and part of a united body in which all members both cooperate with and care for one another.

As much as it hurts to see a minister of the gospel being persecuted, it is a far larger blow to God’s people to see him get disqualified. Thus, just as every athlete can only win by competing according to the rules, every man can only win souls by living according to the Word in an uncompromising manner.