DAILY DEVOTIONAL – October 25, 2019
“Biggest Fan”
Prayer: Jesus, we have no one else and nowhere else to turn in this life. You are our only reliable and sure source of hope and encouragement. It is Your smile alone that we seek and that assures our hearts that everything is going to be fine, not because You cheer us on, but because You live with us, yes, You even carry us in Your love and grace. Thank You Lord for Your sacrifice on the cross that has made our Heavenly Father smile upon us. Amen.
Scripture: Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.
Devotional – “Biggest Fan”
Michael Jordan is one of the most beloved sports figures of the modern era. He achieved success on levels few of us will ever know. Celebrated as one of the best basketball players of all time, he had fame, acclaim, celebrity, and wealth. You would think that with all of his popularity and support he had not only from the fans and media but also from his fellow players and coaches, that Michael Jordan would have been able to walk onto the court with all the confidence in the world. Yet Jordan yearned for something more. The emotional support and confidence Jordan needed and that fueled his success didn’t come from his coaches, his teammates, or his fans. It was his father’s approval and support which Jordan ultimately needed. Chicago Tribune sports writer Bob Greene recounts from an interview he had with Jordan, that before each game Jordan would strobe the stands in search of his dad’s reassuring face. In the interview Michael Jordan said, “When he’s there I know I have at least one fan.”
Michael and his father had a special bond. I think that there is little doubt that Michael’s father taught him discipline and hard work and probably had a firm yet compassionate hand in raising Michael. After all, even though he undoubtedly had enormous natural talent, the unwavering level of commitment and dedication it takes to be as prolific as Jordan was had to come from somewhere. Yet at the same time, it’s clear that Michael’s father was his closest confidant and companion and there was no one else’s approval or pride Michael Jordan desired than that of his father.
Of course I never knew Michael Jordan or his father, but given what I know about fatherhood from being both a son and a father, I think it is safe to say that Michael Jordan’s father would have been in the stands for each game and would have been just as supportive and proud of Michael even if he spent most games sitting on the bench. Michael Jordan is also quoted as saying, “My heroes are and were my parents. I can’t see having anyone else as my heroes.”
When it’s game time for you, where do you look for assurance? Whose face are you searching for and who is it that gives you the confidence and support you need to do your very best? Michael Jordan was no doubt a fantastic basketball player, and I am sure his parents were fantastic parents, but even the best of parents and the best of athletes are far from perfect. Everyone fails and falls short. Although Michael’s father meant so much to him and provided much needed support on the court, his dad couldn’t provide everything Michael needed in life. If you’re at all familiar with what has happened with Michael Jordan since retiring from basketball, you know what I mean.
We should thank God for those people in our life that support us and on whom we trust in and rely on for encouragement. However, as I am sure you yourself have learned, there is no one in this life that can give us everything we need emotionally or spiritually or in any other way. Not mothers for fathers or wives or husbands or children. Our only true source of unfailing and never-ending support and encouragement and hope and strength can only be found in the One who is above everyone else and the One who is above everything else. Only God perfectly satisfies everything we need in life and for eternity.
God is our Good Father in heaven who loves us perfectly. His love is righteous and just, so God is a firm Father when it comes to what is right and wrong. He defines what is good and bad and right and wrong. Yet God is eternally compassionate and forgiving in His love for us. God warned us that sin would bring death to us and this world, and we have all chosen our own way and sinned against God instead of listening to Him. Though because of sin we all die, God has not abandoned or forsaken us. Our perfectly faithful Father God has not only stood by us, but came to stand in our place, to die in our place. God put on flesh in Jesus Christ and paid the price for our sins to satisfy His own wrath and judgement against us, and because Christ rose again from the grave, though we die, we will live forever with God by grace through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.
When it’s game time, and we find ourselves overwhelmed or afraid, we can know for certain that our Heavenly Father isn’t just sitting in the bleachers cheering us on, but instead He is right next to us, walking with us and ready to carry us and lift us up when we fail and fall. God isn’t just our biggest fan, God is our only strength and our only success. Apart from Him we can do nothing. As we have seen time and time again with successful people who put too much confidence in personal accomplishments, all the fame and fortune and success, all the friends and support from even those that love you, is not enough to fill the void in our heart and life that only a relationship with Jesus Christ can fill.
At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, sprinter Dereck Redmond had qualified for the semifinal of the 400m sprint with the fastest time in his heat and was anticipated to easily win a medal. As Dereck took his stance for the race the gun was raised and after the shot range our Dereck took off. He was looking strong as he hurled down the track, when suddenly he stumbled. He managed to stay on his feet but then began hopping on one leg. By the intense look of pain on his face, you knew something had gone seriously wrong. Dereck’s hamstring muscle had completely torn.
Amazingly, Dereck’s true competitive nature and athleticism drove him to continue, and rather than crumble to the ground, Dereck continued hobbling toward the finish line; clearly in serious pain. Then something happened that as you watched it happen simply took your breath away and made your eyes well up.
Jim Redmond, Dereck’s father who was in the stands cheering him on, ran from the stands towards the track. Security officers tried to stop him, but they were no match for a father watching his child who was not only hobbling in pain, but clearly crying tears of disappointment. Jim ran up from behind Dereck and put his arms around his torso and lifted him up a bit to help him finish the race. It took Dereck a moment to realize who was now running with him and helping him, but as soon as he realized it was his father, Dereck couldn’t contain it any more. He collapsed on his father’s shoulder, weeping with tears of pain and disappointment, but also tears of relief. With tears now in both of their eyes, the Redmonds finished the race together amidst the shouts and cheers of an international audience that was on their feet in standing ovation.
If you have never seen the video, I have linked to it in the PDF of this devotional that you can download. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2G8KVzTwfw
I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Friends, our loving Heavenly Father is our only strength. All of us have stumbled and sinned, but our loving God has not just watched from afar. Christ came to put on our flesh not only to die and rise and forgive our sins, but to run with us and pick us up and carry us. It is only by His strength and love that we can make it to the finish line, and the Good News is that God has promised to be with us every step of the way. Believe in Jesus my friends. He is our only true assurance and hope of life. No matter what hardships we may face or no matter how many times we may stumble and fall, by God’s grace through faith alone in Christ Jesus, we can know for certain that we will one day stand victorious in our Lord Jesus and before the very presence of God, and be able to say as Paul did in 2 Timothy 4:7-8, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”
Have a wonderful weekend everyone, and remember that God has forgiven yesterday, is with you today and has already taken care of tomorrow. Amen.
