Olympian Dedication

Every four years, we celebrate the Olympics with fireworks and interviews. We make athletes into celebrities, and honor achievements earned in split seconds. We don’t pay attention to their daily grind. We don’t send cameras for the drudgery of the diligent: the early morning alarm with no snooze. The practices even when they don't feel like it. Saying no to invitations, free time, other things they'd be good at. The injuries that hurt but don't stop them.

Every four years, we celebrate the Olympics with fireworks and interviews. We make athletes into celebrities, and honor achievements earned in split seconds. We don’t pay attention to their daily grind. We don’t send cameras for the drudgery of the diligent: the early morning alarm with no snooze. The practices even when they don't feel like it. Saying no to invitations, free time, other things they'd be good at. The injuries that hurt but don't stop them.

They are the best, in part, because they’ve been set apart, gift with genetics, talent, support. But none of these would matter without a singular dedication that calls them to sacrifice their whim, their lazy impulses, their right to "normal", for the goal.

We too have been set apart, gifted with everything we need. So what would it look like if we were dedicated to following God that way? What if we sacrificed our whims, our lazy impulses, our right to normal for our singular purpose? What if we pursued God like a gold medal, not legalistically trying to earn favor, but as if his kingdom and his will and his glory really mattered? What if we focused on loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and loving our neighbors as ourselves? What if we said no to competing invitations for the sake of being Christ's ambassador?

I don't live this way. If you looked at the training schedule of my daily life, you'd see much more dedication to self than to God. I suspect you might be able to say the same. But what if we took some inspiration from the elite, and raced for the prize?

American minds object to this kind of idea with words like “legalism” or “radical” or “absurd”. That sort of dedication was seen in the Bible, but those people were special, different than mere mortals like us. Except they weren't. We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. We have been predestined for good works. We are a peculiar people, the salt and light of the world. We are the sons and daughters of God, empowered by the Holy Spirit, tasked with His mission. We are the Body of Christ, displaying the fruit of the Spirit, living abundantly, spreading truth of G God's love and grace, shining like stars in the midst of a dark generation. Dedication is not out of reach for normal believers. It IS normal for believers.

D.L. Moody devoted himself to being one man wholly dedicated to God. Bonhoeffer died in a Nazi prison two weeks before the Allies liberated it. Billy Graham prayed that if he were ever about to fall morally, that God would strike him dead before he had the chance so God's name wouldn't be sullied. Benedict Walked away from wealth and position to serve that poor in Christ's power and love.In 1808, Adoniram Judson made “a solemn dedication of himself to God”. Three years later, he left family, stellar career potential, and civilization to sail to Burma, whose jungles would make him a widower twice. Jim Elliott foreshadowed his fate with his words, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” He and his four companions lost their lives to bring the Gospel to one of the most violent tribes on earth.

Today, independent American women choose to wear burkas and to live under sharia law do they can bring Christ to the Muslim world. People walk away from high paying jobs, from safety, from opportunities to go where God's Spirit leads them. Right now, people are praying, choosing, sacrificing for the goal. Right now, Christ-followers are living as if what we say we believe is really true, and letting that truth affect everything.

Do you not know that all the runners in a stadium compete, but only one receives the prize? So run to win. Each competitor must exercise self-control in everything. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. (1 Cor 9:24).