[Originally from TFT, March 2002] When it comes to the lives of many youth today, sports play a very big role. Whether it be baseball, basketball, football, soccer, or any other sport, a number of young people participate in these fun activities. Sports can be very relaxing and enjoyable. They can help people to communicate well with others while making friendships that can last a lifetime. Even though sports have many advantages to them, they can also cause a few problems.
Problems arise when sports are placed between God and us. We as Christians must realize that there is nothing wrong with sports as long as they are placed properly in our lives. God must come before any sports we play, no matter the importance of the game. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” This verse tells us that if we put Christ and His church first in our lives, everything else will work itself out. We sometimes get so carried away in sporting activities that we forget about those things that are most important in our lives. Ever since I can remember, I have been made to miss many of my games to attend worship or Bible class. I sometimes wondered why I couldn’t miss Bible class to go to my games. I would become angry and frustrated, and I just couldn’t understand why I was the only person on my team that missed for this reason.
Later on in life, I realized that my parents were making me miss games because they loved me, and even more importantly, loved the Lord. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it,” [Proverbs 22:6].
It seems as if people these days cannot quite grasp the importance of placing God first in their lives. Recently, I had a baseball tournament that was scheduled for the same day as the annual Bible Search at the Southwest church of Christ in Austin. About two weeks before the tournament, I went to my coach and explained to him my situation, and I informed him that I would not be able to play in the tournament. Just as I had thought, my coach became a little angry. He looked at me as if to say, “What could be more important than baseball?” I knew he wasn’t going to be happy when I had to miss, but I also knew that I was doing what God wanted me to do. Missing a sporting activity or school function to attend Bible class or worship will probably not be the most popular thing to do. You will most likely not be praised by your peers for doing so. You will definitely not be in the majority. But, you will be doing something which will help lead to heaven. “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it,” [Matthew 7:13-14]. Though putting God first might not be popular, it is one of the best decisions that one could ever make.
