Me: Howdy, Prodigal! Are you throwing around the ole pig skin and I mean the football and not you. lol
Prodigal: Very funny joke. I do like football and just love the way the sport is played! (Go Carolina Panthers!)
Me: Today I can talk about football and God and bring those two topics together.
Prodigal: I would like to hear about that.
Charles Swindoll in his book The Value of Open Relationships Dropping Your Guard, will bring these two together:
Many years ago I read a statement that has stuck in my head ever since. I can’t remember the source, but the words have been permanently etched in my mind: “When a man of God dies, nothing of God dies.” There is no question that leaders are used in mighty ways to shape the lives of God’s people. Where would some of us be were it not for “the movers and the shakers” who challenged us and motivated us? But no leader, regardless of his or her vision, gifts, or model, is indispensable to God’s overall plan. Only God is that. We are fooling ourselves and heading for an abrupt, disillusioning fall if our love for the leader is greater than our love and loyalty to the Lord Himself.
On top of that, God’s desire to have the body get closer and grow stronger together will be hindered if the center of affection and attention is the leader. To go back to my football example, it is teamwork that makes for a winning season and healthy intrasquad morale. Even teams that have superstar athletes frequently mention that while they appreciate and admire the star’s ability, they are a team of varied talent, not a one-man operation. A difficult struggle though it may be, Christians who hope to cultivate meaningful, lasting, and deep relationships with each other must maintain the right perspective at this point. Had the Hebrews lost their focus, Joshua would have been unable to carry on when Moses stepped aside. The servant-leader Moses made Joshua’s task easier by continually turning the people’s allegiance away from himself and back on the Lord.
This danger of exalting the leader above the Lord is hindrance to closeness occurring in a group because it tends to emphasize rank and positions of earthly authority above the oneness we all have in the Savior, Jesus Christ. It is His lordship that cements us together in one unified whole, placing everyone in the same role–sheep belonging to their Shepherd. But when the leader occupies a conspicuous place of prominence, the group becomes divided rather then unified and up go the defenses, on go the masks.
Hebrews: 13:15
Through him then left us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
