“Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me.” — John 15:4
It’s normative for Christian athletes to use language like “Playing for God” and “Playing for His glory.” There is nothing wrong with wanting to do things in sports or in life for God. The Bible affirms this type of living in 1 Corinthians 10:31 when the Apostle Paul says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” But in all of our efforts to do things for God, we might be missing out on another way to integrate our faith into our athletic experience.
What if God doesn’t simply want us to play for Him, but with Him as well?
WARM-UP
What are some practical ways you can connect with God?
Do you think God wants you to be connected with Him while you are competing?
WORKOUT
Following Mary’s Lead
We see an example of God wanting us to play with Him as well as for Him in Luke. In Luke 10:38-42 Jesus visits the house of Martha. As Jesus is teaching, Mary (her sister), sits at His feet, listening to His words. Martha is upset. She is busying herself with all of the necessary preparations. And this is not necessarily bad! She is doing things for Jesus. But in this moment, Jesus wants her to remain with Him, instead of racing to get things done. Jesus says “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:42).
God wants us to compete and practice with Him, not just for Him. This means finding ways to acknowledge His presence and continually shift our attention back to Him in practice, competition and throughout our daily lives. This is part of how we remain or abide with Him in the context of sports, by turning our attention to Him. It’s worth noting that God wants us to play with Him, not so He can give us supernatural abilities in sport (though that would be nice!), but because He is a relational God who relates to us as a father. As a good Father, He wants to be included in the process!
Q: Why do you think God wants you to play with Him, not just for Him?
Q: What are some ways you can remember God is with you, even during competition?
Remembering God is With Us
This is hard! How are we supposed to remember to play with God, instead of just for Him when competition demands so much of our attention and focus?
Acknowledging and remembering God’s presence while we play sports is a challenging endeavor. But Jesus doesn't say in John 15 to only remain in Him when we’re sitting down in a quiet spot and reading our Bible. He wants us to remain in Him at all times. What does this look like to practice the presence of God in sport? At the very least, it means acknowledging that He is with us by giving Him our attention.
You can do this practically by finding something you can quickly concentrate on that reminds you to think about God. It can be anything—a wristband, watch or even writing on your shoes. It could even be a scoreboard or a banner hung somewhere in the stadium. Ideally, it will be something you consistently see in practice and during competitions. When you see it, make it a visual reminder to redirect your thoughts to God.
Depending on your sport, the best time to do this is when there is a pause in the action, like between quarters, periods, during halftime, in the middle of a timeout or after a change of possession. This will probably be uncomfortable at first. But, like anything, the more practice and attention you give to it, the more comfortable you will become remaining in Him while you play.
Q: How could remembering that God is with you change how you approach your sport?
Q: Why is it important to remain in Him at all times?
WRAP-UP
We’re proven by playing with Him, not just for Him.
We’re wired to perform in order to please others, but Mary’s example shows us that it’s enough to simply be in Jesus’ presence.
Jesus wants us to remain in Him at all times.
We need tangible reminders to remember Jesus’ presence while we play.
Key Action: Identify a few tangible reminders to help you remember Jesus’ presence while practicing and competing.