12/4/2011: Faithful and Successful
Alright, that’s it. I am going to talk about Tim Tebow. The whole world is seemingly talking about him.
For those of you who do not know Tim Tebow is, he is a professional football player (a quarterback – that’s the guy that throws the ball) who is playing his first season as a pro for the Denver Broncos. The Broncos were 1-4 when Tebow got the call to start for them, and they have been 6-1 ever since. He was wildly successful during his college football days at the University of Florida, winning two national championships and a Heisman (awarded annually to the best college player). But Tebow’s illustrious football career is not the only reason why he is the most talked about athlete at the moment.
Tim Tebow was born in the Philippines under parents who were Baptist missionaries. Tim’s mother was told that she would have a stillbirth by the doctors when she was pregnant with Tim, meaning her baby would be born dead. Obviously, Tim is alive and well. Tim and all four of his siblings were homeschooled by their parents, who insisted that they instill Christian values in their children. In 2010, Tim was drafted by the Broncos, and signed a contract worth more than $8 million in guaranteed money, with up to $33 million possible. By now, you should be thinking that he has it all – good parents, international upbringing, solid education, lots of money, youth, physique, and fame. But these aren’t the reasons why people talk so much about Tim right now.
People love to talk about Tim because he talks about God all the time. He thanks God for every achievement and attributes everything in life to God on national television. In an article I just read, Tim is quoted, “If you’re married, and you have a wife, and you really love your wife, is it good enough to only tell your wife that you love her on the day you get married? Or should you tell her every single day when you wake up and have the opportunity? That’s how I feel about my relationship with Jesus Christ.” Amen, Tim.
Last night, Hannah and I talked about how men who faithfully practice their faith in Jesus either end up being a pastor, or almost drop their faith all together. They are either faithful but unsuccessful (in worldly sense), or unfaithful but successful. Tim Tebow, then, is a rare exception that is faithful and successful. I know plenty of parents of our youth group students (perhaps your parents too for that matter) that would love for their children to be faithful and successful at the same time.
But what if God asks you to choose? Would you rather be faithful or successful? This is the same question that Jesus asked to the rich young ruler in Luke 18:22. When the person who seemingly had it all – he was young, rich, and powerful – sought eternal life, Jesus told him to sell all of his possessions to give to the poor and follow him. Not just some, or even most, but all. What would you do in that situation?
I think many of us would struggle with that question. I know I would. I do not think that such ‘either or’ mentality is what God wants from all of us, for we see some people being faithful and successful, like Tim Tebow. Still, I do think God demands most of us to choose between faithfulness and success. A simple way to tell which category we belong to may be asking ourselves whether the call to choose between the two is a struggle or not. If you can’t convincingly choose faithfulness over success, then I think you are the 99% (a little stab at the Occupy movement here). There is no shame in this. I know I belong to the 99%.
What does this mean for you? Well, ask yourself to choose between faithfulness and success! Do you want to go for both? I urge you not to, unless you can talk about God like Tim Tebow. If you can’t, then your call is to go for faithfulness, which is really the only reward that actually matters. If placing faithfulness over success is easy, more power to you! Keep going for faithfulness; God may add a cherry of success on top. Just don’t forget me when you become faithful and successful.
• Congratulations to Jamlise/Elames!!! May you continue to grow as a couple of God!!!
• Thank you to everyone who has served our church this year!!!
• Winter Cleaning: 12/11 (Sun) after worship
• Winter Retreat: 12/18 (Sun) – 12/20 (Tue), $80 per person, sign-up now
• Christmas Gift Exchange: 12/22 (Thu) @ H & H (261 N. Madison Ave. #102, Pasadena, CA 91101)
• Christmas Family Worship & Presentation: 12/24 (Sat) @ 8pm
go TEBOW! Go GOD!…in other news. is there a reason why i cant see the page on my phone or my tablet?
i came close to buying a tebow shirt but couldn’t do it because he plays for the broncos. im a closet fan.
i dont know why u cant the see page. u know im not the one to answer computer questions..