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In and Out of Season
I was thinking about my days as a kid growing up in Raton, New Mexico. My brothers and I would always be at Optimist Park (OP after dark) playing basketball pretty much every night in the summertime. There seemed to always be a game going on, and if not, I had brothers so we could always get a game of 21 going on. I played basketball for the school during the school year, so summer was our off-season. We had various basketball camps or practice sessions from time to time, but if you really wanted to stay on top of your game, you had to practice on your own.
I’ve been “retired” for quite awhile now from basketball, or at least that’s what I joke around with my friends about. I play from time to time, but it seems like that time in between games keeps getting longer and longer. If I were to step on the courts right now, I’d be old and out of shape. These young kids would run circles around me. When I was younger, pretty much every opportunity I had to be on the court, I was there. Nowadays, I’m just a washed up, has been baller.
There’s a lot of Christians who used to serve God with all of their hearts. They used to pray every day and read their Word every day. They were on fire for God at one point in their life. They were trained up and well-equipped. God moved mightily through them. They saw miracles. They reached many for Christ, but now they are just washed up, has been Christians. Somewhere along the line they lost that desire. Somewhere along the way they lost that passion. They stopped doing what they were supposed to be doing.
I’m still a huge basketball fan. I love watching the game, but honestly, I don’t have the desire to play anymore like I used to have. I’ll root and cheer for my teams. I’ll fantasize about hitting the game winning shot as time expires on the clock while I’m tossing a crumbled piece of paper towards the waste basket across the room. I’ll talk about the NBA and college basketball with friends. I’ll even reminisce about my glory days as a player, but truthfully, now I’m just observing from a distance.
It’s sad to say, but there are many Christians who are like this in their own personal lives. They’ve become spectators instead of participants. They’ll go to church every Sunday to hear what the preacher has to say. They may even give to the church and help out now and then, but they are far from doing what God’s called them to do. They may even dream and fantasize about walking in their calling, but they are taking no steps towards getting to where they need to be.
2 Timothy 4:2 says that we are to be ready “in and out of season”. It’s easier to be well-prepared and ready to go when you have people doing it with you. You don’t want to let down your coach and your teammates. I’m blessed to have a great church, awesome friends and a family that keeps my motivated to keep pressing on towards that mark of the high calling of God. But there are times in my life where I have to train on my own.
My brother Gabe and I used to pray every morning together before he left to work. I would get home from my job and he would be waking up for the day, so we set aside half an hour or so to just seek God. Well, it turned out my brother got a new shift at his job, so he now leaves for work before I get home now. And honestly, it’s so much harder to put aside that time by myself to pray than it was when I had my brother there with me. But, if I want to stay on top of my game, I have to learn to train on my own. Ultimately, it’s about that personal relationship that you alone have to develop with God.
I don’t know where you are in your walk with God. Maybe you’re doing just fine. You’re out there walking in His perfect will, being a light to this darkened world. That’s good. I encourage you to stay trained up and continue doing what you’re doing. But maybe you’re not where you know you should be. Maybe you’ve lost that fire along the way. Maybe you’ve become a spectator instead of a participant.
God’s calling you to get yourself together. He’s calling you to get back on that court and start up that training regime again. He isn’t finished with you. Unlike basketball, you can’t retire from Christianity. You can’t retire from walking with God. It’s a life long commitment. There is no off-season in serving the Lord.
2 Timothy 2:15 says “Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
2 Timothy 4:2 says, “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season…”
w/muchluv,
geno
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