In this season of Super Bowls and award shows, it’s commonplace to hear famous athletes and actors give glory to God for their blessings. It happens subtly, often squeaking by in speeches as the last closing note before ending a monologue. Oftentimes I am left with a few lingering questions:
- Was it a sincere shout-out to God?
- Was that a necessary shout-out?
- Is there a correct answer to this profession of faith amidst a worldly win?*
When I look to scripture for guidance, I find a few passages that may be relevant in this discussion. Paul writing to the churches in Galatia and Philippi provides some good insight.
“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” – Galatians 6:14
“But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ” – Philippians 3:7-8
Returning to my questions:
For my first question, I must continually remind myself that there is no way for me to truly know the speakers heart. As part of this truth, I can be comforted to know that it is not my job to know their heart and thereby determine if it was a sincere profession.
I believe that there is lots of room for debate in deciding if there are better times and places for sharing the Gospel. However, if the Gospel is being proclaimed and people are coming to know Christ, what reason do we have for grumbling? Paul expands in Philippians 1:15-18.
Finally I come to the conclusion that in all situations it is good for Christ followers to embrace the spotlight boldly for Jesus, and embrace the blessing of a platform to speak and boast all the more in Him.
*When I say “worldly win” I am in no way trying to diminish the value of winning awards or games. These are after-all talents that God has blessed these men and women with to perform mind boggling feats that I think can only point back to a greater power. By saying “worldly win”, I mean only to separate what will carry value into eternity and what will fade away on this earth.
This post was inspired by Elliot Clark’s article on The Gospel Coalition at https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/super-bowl-gospel/
and by the book Embracing Obscurity: Becoming Nothing in Light of God’s Everything by Anonymous.
