Last Tuesday, I attended the annual "Mayor's Prayer Breakfast" in our city. The guest speaker was former Miami Dolphin, Glen Blackwood. I've been a faithful fins-fan all of my life -- through both the good and the bad years. Needless to say, I was excited to hear Glen speak and well pleased with his message. Glen told the crowd of approx. 300 that he was unhappy with what the NFL had become, as guys beat their chests and point to themselves, instead of focusing on the team as a whole. Think about it... a good QB has a good offensive line, running backs gain yards when they get good blocks, and sacks come because of good coverage down field. Football is a team sport and so is Christianity. Every believer has a role to play in the propagation of the Gospel. Best of all, Glen stood before the crowd of approx. 300 and gave a crystal clear explanation of the Gospel. He used his platform to share Christ.
Recently, I've noticed more and more believers using their popularity to point people to Jesus, rather than draw attention to themselves. Tim Tebow (Gator QB) faithfully shares Christ during interviews and the verses under his eyes were read on national television during his final home game. Last summer, our church hosted three-time Olympic Gold Medalist - Leah O'Brien-Amico who tells people that following Jesus is better than winning three gold medals. In October, we hosted Mike Minter (Former Carolina Panther) and he shared the Gospel and the story of how teammate, John Casey, was instrumental in leading him to Christ. Singer, Amy Grant, was on Fox News this morning talking about Operation Christmas Child. Recently, our City hosted the "Hartsville Idol" competition and several tremendous vocalists used this opportunity to share their faith and sing songs that proclaimed Christ.
Not everyone uses God-given opportunities to bring glory to Him. The media is in a frenzy over Tiger Woods squandering of his integrity and forfeited position as a model family man. The media has also enjoyed professing "Christians" such as Bill Clinton, John Edwards, Newt Gingrich, and several television evangelists as they brought shame to their own name and the name of Christ. Sadly, some forget that God places them in positions of influence.
The bottom-line question is this... How will YOU use the opportunities that God allows you? Remember, when we are faithful in the small opportunities, then He can trust us with larger ones.
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