Number one on the list of things God hates is prideful arrogance. It accounts for the downfall of nations. It leads to personal destruction. It is the motive for much sinful conduct and especially as it relates to speech.
Proverbs 6:16-17 There are six things which the Lord hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood,
Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverted mouth, I hate.
Proverbs 18:12 Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, But humility goes before honor.
1 Samuel 2:3
"Boast no more so very proudly, Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth; For the Lord is a God of knowledge, And with Him actions are weighed.
Arrogance in Sports
There has been a trend in sports for many years of self-praise and self-promotion. This is seen by the bragging attitude displayed by some of our top athletes. Some have said, “If you don’t brag about yourself, then who will.” Perhaps this is one of the sad consequences of making little ‘gods’ out of highly talented athletes combined with the infusion of large amounts of money. This problem was not quite as prominent in my day, although baseball has had its share of braggadocios players. We did have Dizzy Dean who often bragged about what he could do. He justified this by saying, “It ain’t bragging if you can do it.” He was baseball’s version of Mohammed Ali who often declared “I’m the greatest” and he probably was. Often these ego-centric individuals become the “role models” for many young people who are more than willing to imitate such brash examples as being the key to stardom. All of this is aided by a willing press who love to make headlines out of outlandish speech. After Dizzy lost his pitching skills he was forced to take insults from raw rookies who imagined themselves to be next great “Dean”. In all of this, it is still sound advice to heed the words of the ancient wise man who said: “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.” (Pro. 27:2).
Confidence is absolutely necessary to success in sports, but there is a vast difference in possessing confidence (based upon a true assessment of abilities, past successes, etc.) and actually being arrogant. Arrogance is always focused on self. It is all about “me”. It is the attitude which says, “I am better then others because of talents, looks, breeding, etc.”. It is an unrealistic evaluation of yourself and of the world. Today, I see a lot more “showboating” going on. Players who put on little demonstrations after every “blocked shot”, “slam dunk”, “home run”, “touchdown”, “quarterback sack”, etc. These little gestures say, “Wow, look what I have done!” I also hear about the constant “trash talking” on the court or playing field and other such destructive and anti-social behavior. Is this part of the same problem?
“When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise” (Pro. 10:19). “The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; they one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin” (Pro. 13:3).
I have to wonder why all of this is taking place and how it all got started. I see nothing wrong with celebrating a win or the winning of a hard fought championship. But it would be nice to see a lot more humility displayed on the part of both players and fans. Fans often celebrate championships with rioting, destruction of property, drunkenness and other ungodly displays. I personally enjoy sports, but these displays turn me off. To many, sports have become a form of religion. Even great athletes need to admit these basic facts: 1. I did not create myself. It is God who has given me life and the very air I breath; 2. From my parents I have been given special genes or natural endowments; 3. Many people in my life have given me opportunities, good advise and discipline making success possible. 4. My success on the playing field is based on a lot of factors outside of myself.
Psalm 139:14
I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.
Jeremiah 9:23-24
Thus says the Lord, "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; 24but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the Lord.
There is a long list of personal examples I could give you as to the problem of arrogance in sports. This involves smug attitudes, thinking themselves to be above the average person, demanding special treatment, being bad role models, putting themselves above the team, careless lifestyles, refusing to sign autographs, and other such things that can become a nightmare to managers and the publicity department. This is perhaps what we might expect of high profile persons in the sports or the entertainment business. There are some good, although rare, examples of highly successful individuals who remained humble and godly.
I am not anti-sports, since I do enjoy watching sports and playing the game has been such a large part of my life – twenty years pitching at the Major League level. It has some commendable qualities. For one thing, success is based upon actual performance and not who you know. It is neutral as to race, social status or nationality. It is blind to political affiliation. It is honest since it is based upon “an all out effort to win in open, honest competition.” It is a most challenging enterprise. Nevertheless, it can have a corrupting influence when we become obsessed with the “heros” of the game and ascribe to them special status. Can a player use this ascribed “special status” for good? Yes, but he must be very careful how he does this. He must do so without promoting the very things that cause the corruption in the first place. He must not join in promoting the idolatry of the game. He must see himself as he truly is, a fallible man/woman with special God given gifts offering him no advantage over others in finding true happiness. He rejects the glamorization of sports.
I have always believed that true champions are not stuck on them-selves. I have mentioned some bad examples and trends in sports, but in all fairness, I must point out that there are some good examples of successful players and coaches. One is the coach of the football world champion Colts, Tony Dungy, who shows humility and, according to reputation, coaches without the use of intimidation, raising his voice, cursing, use of threats or other such widespread tactics. I must also mention Avery Johnson, the coach of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team who stresses unselfish teamwork, does not allow any of his players to rest on their laurels or to take any game for granted.
The Fall of Nations
Boasting or arrogance is certainly not confined to sports. but is seen in every aspect of modern life. It is the main cause that caused God to destroy the great empires of the past. Also, pride is the principle reason so many do not thank God and praise Him for His mighty works. It is strange that we do not recognize God when it is through Him we live, move, and have our very being. This also appears to be the root reason for ungodliness.
Amos 6:8
The Lord God has sworn by Himself, the Lord God of hosts has declared: "I loathe the arrogance of Jacob, And detest his citadels; Therefore I will deliver up the city and all it contains."
Jeremiah 48:29
"We have heard of the pride of Moab—he is very proud— Of his haughtiness, his pride, his arrogance and his self-exaltation.
Isaiah 13:11
Thus I will punish the world for its evil And the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.
Proverbs 30:12-14
There is a kind who is pure in his own eyes, Yet is not washed from his filthiness. There is a kind—oh how lofty are his eyes! And his eyelids are raised in arrogance. There is a kind of man whose teeth are like swords And his jaw teeth like knives, To devour the afflicted from the earth And the needy from among men.
Ezekiel 16:49-50
"Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. "Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them when I saw it.
The Bible contains a long list of nations that were destroyed because of their arrogance and failure to recognize God’s rule in the kingdoms of men. Not only did these nations create their own idols to worship but were guilty of gross immoralities. It takes an arrogant spirit to believe that we will not reap what we sow and that God will not bring us to judgment.
Boast Not Of Tomorrow
Many deceive themselves into thinking that life will continue as usual and that they have nothing to fear even though they live as if there is no God. But history and the realities of life point to a different conclusion:
Psalm 14:1
For the choir director. A Psalm of David. The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good.
James 4:13-17
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” 14Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. 15Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” 16But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. 17Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.
Someone has well said that we need to live each day as if it will be our last. By this I do not mean that we should eat, drink, and live it up for we can die at anytime, as one of my teammates used to say to justify “burning the candle at both ends.” Oh, the many stories I could tell about misspent lives. But the brevity of life should cause us pause as to the meaning and purpose of life. It is hard to compete against the ways of the world and the deceitfulness of sin, because it has its instant reward. The pleasures of this world, even though they are enjoyed only briefly, appeals to the flesh. The gratifications of the flesh never fulfill what is promised. This is the old HOLLYWOOD story is sexual gratification that ends in tragedy again and again, but is anyone listening? I wish that everyone could take a crash course in the book of Ecclesiastes and learn in particular what does not lead to HAPPINESS. What does lead to happiness is stated at the very end of the book:
Eccles. 12:13-14
The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. 14For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.
Haughtiness is a generational and a social problem. It teaches that the only way to get ahead is through self-promotion and self-actualization. It is cool to talk loudly and cut others down to size. Go after what you want regardless of the consequence to others. After all, you are really somebody. You are the center of the universe and it is your needs and ambitions that must be met. Do not let anything or anyone stand in your way to realize your full potential. Say what you want to say and do what you want to do. These are some of the ideals being promoted today. Like so many times in the past, these things will lead to personal and social disaster. But does anyone care or is anyone really listening?
Malachi 4:1
"For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze," says the Lord of hosts, "so that it will leave them neither root nor branch."
Boast Only In The Lord
There is a genuine sense of self-worth and pride that we need to experience, but it does not lie in such superficial things as outward beauty, special physical talents, good health, popularity or other things that the world greatly values. Each one of us indeed have been wonderfully blessed to be endowed with life and created in the image of God. God has placed within each one of us a spark of eternity giving us a special ability to relate to God and to one other. These facts should cause us to realize that we are indeed very special. These facts should cause us to be thankful that God made us so. God is a personal God who loves righteousness and hates iniquity and we are His creatures who are the special objects of His unfathomable love. It is He who destroys the haughty and lifts up the meek and lowly. He desires to bless us beyond our wildest dreams. Those who put their trust in Him will not be disappointed.
1 Cor. 1:30-31
But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Romans 8:32-39
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written,
“For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
* * *
“Christianity and Sports”
Many years ago, while I was still an active player, a veteran New York sportswriter asked me, “Lindy, is there any correlation between sports and Christianity?” He, knowing about the personal lives of many of the professional athletes and aware of my own background in both religion and sports, was very skeptical of any positive answer. I surprised him by saying, “Yes, indeed!” I knew that was the correct answer because I was familiar with all the passages using the language of sports written by the apostle Paul. I then mentioned a series of specific things such as “striving to win”, “focusing on goals”, “competing according to the rules”, “overcoming obstacles”, “knowing your opposition”, “putting forth an all out effort to win”, “keeping your eye on the primary goal”, “never giving up”, etc. These are certainly the fundamental principles involved in sports.
I went on to explain to him an apparent paradox. The problem is simply this, the players must apply all of these principles in order to succeed in baseball, but many are apparently under the delusion that they do not have to apply the same principles in order to succeed in life. Of course I was well aware that Paul was merely using the principles of sports in order to teach about life in Christ. This was exactly why Jesus used parables which were physical illustrations of spiritual truths.
Most of us find it much easier to teach the fundamentals of sports rather than teach people how to live. The great Chicago Cub’s pitcher, Ferguson Jenkins, made this statement when he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame: “Playing baseball was relatively easy. It is life that is hard.” Every professional can certainly say “amen” to that statement! Sports involves physical principles that can be demonstrated in physical ways, but spiritual things affect our life and eternal destiny. Therefore, the spiritual is exceedingly more important affecting our life and godly living. Here is partial list of what Paul wrote to Christians using the language of sports:
1 Cor. 9:24-27
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
Philip. 3:12-14
Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
1 Tim. 4:8-9
for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 9It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance.
2 Tim. 2:5
Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.
Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
These passages, either individually or collectively, furnish some of the greatest material for practical lessons on Christianity. They stress the importance of striving to win. I have often stressed to coaches that there can be no “character building” element in sports unless one is striving to win. Why strive to overcome obstacles if it doesn’t matter whether you win or lose? Why give it your very best if winning is not important? Perhaps that is why I have always felt an attraction for sports.
But for all the things we can learn from sports, teaching one how to live is the most important value of all. After all, “bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” I Tim. 4:8-9 What do you put first in your life? What really gets you excited? Is your main focus sports and recreation or do you seek the life that is in Jesus Christ? Do you set your mind on the things that are above where Christ is, or is it the things of this world which will fade away and be destroyed? (See Col. 3:1; 1 John 2:15-17).
Is it easy to succeed in athletic endeavors? No. Is it easy to follow Christ? No. The requirement is simply this: “Be thou faithful unto death” (Rev. 2:10). As Yogi Berra, the great Yankee catcher said, “It ain’t over until it’s over!” The victory is not ours just because we enter the race. This point is made over and over by Paul in his use of athletic language.
I would hope, that all of us, in applying these great principles to our lives can someday be just as confident as the apostle Paul when he came to the end of his life and penned these words: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; 8in the future 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.” 2 Tim. 4:7-8
0 comments:
Post a Comment