The Big Game

Well, for all those Tarheel and Blue Devil fans, tonight is the big night! UNC and Duke will make their way onto the court this evening at nine o'clock for the clash of the ACC titans. There is no middle ground for this one: UNC fans (of which I am one!) always pull for UNC and ANYONE playing Duke, and the same is true of Duke fans. Loyalty is the name of the game, and we are all about OUR team.

I must admit that I am a huge sports fan, especially for the sports of basketball and football. I have been a Tarheel fan, and a Dallas Cowboys fan, since the age of 10. I have never wavered! You could call me a true blue fan, and at my present age, I see no need to consider changing. However, I have been giving some serious consideration lately as to why I am so enamored with these teams. I have reached a very serious conclusion: I don't have a clue! My father was not a sports fan at all - I don't recall ever seeing him watch a ball game of any kind. My brother and I were so different when we were young that I know beyond any doubt that I did not get my love for sports from him, because if he had watched it, I would have gone out of my way to ignore it, just to be obnoxious! So, it was not passed down to me from seeing family members watch, and hearing them talk about, their favorite teams.

So, I guess it would be true to say that I developed a love for these two sports all on my own. But, I still don't really know why I chose these particular teams to be my favorites. I just know that I have been a faithful fan for almost 50 years!

But please note that I used the word "fan." I watch them play on TV every chance I get. I even went so far as to purchase NFL Sunday ticket a couple of years so I would not miss a single Cowboys game. I watch every televised Tarheel game. I have seen the Cowboys play several times in person in the past, when I had the privilege of living in the Dallas area for 11 years.

Lately, however, even though I am still a fan, I am not the avid fanatic I once was. I will not pay the exorbitant cost of NFL Sunday ticket - I only watch the games televised locally. I do occasionally miss a Tarhill basketball game, because I don't check the TV schedule as avidly as I once did. I guess you could say I am just not as hyped up about it as I was earlier in my life.

Now, to the point. Our church recently went through a study entitled "Not a Fan." It forced us to ask ourselves the question: "Am I a true follower of Jesus, or merely a fan?" I was reminded that the big game is really not about what happens on a basketball court, or a football field, but about what happens in life! As a professing believer in Jesus Christ, I was forced to examine my life and ask some really difficult questions pertaining to my relationship with Him.

Is my relationship with Jesus nothing more than that of a fan, who watches from a comfortable distance and never really gets involved in the game? Do I stand back and cheer Him on, but do nothing myself to become more personally involved in the big game? Jesus called us to be followers: real, committed, followers. He does not want fans who simply sit in the stands and cheer, but He wants followers who are willing to get in the game and follow Him wherever He leads.

Radical? Absolutely! But it shouldn't take us by surprise. It was, after all, Jesus Himself who made those outlandish demands of those who would follow Him. He did say that we must deny self, die to self daily, and come after Him. He did say that anyone who would not put Him absolutely first in their life could not be a true follower. He did say that anyone who put his hand to the plow (anyone who made a decision to follow Him), and then turned back, was not fit for His Kingdom. Strong words to be sure. And please note, this is not what He expects of the ultra-committed. This is what Jesus expects of every person who claims to be a true follower of Jesus Christ.

I am excited about the big game tonight. I really look forward to watching the Tarheels take down the Blue Devils. But, in all reality, in the REAL big game - my life being lived out in the arena in which He has given me the privilege to live and serve - I am the player, and I am expected to give my all for the team on which I play, His team, and I am to do all to bring glory to Him, never to draw attention to myself.

So, the big question about the REAL big game is simply this: are you a true follower of Jesus Christ, or merely a fan?