Articles
What's the Score?
The football season is here. High school football is in full swing. College and professional football are about to begin. In any athletic event, especially football we always want to know “What’s the score?” In fact, the point of any game is to win. It’s no difference in the life of the Christian as we are to win against sin. Our goal is to fight sin everyday and with God’s grace, die a faithful victorious saint. In I Corinthians 15:57 we read “Thanks be to God who gives us victory thru our Lord Jesus Christ.” The question for all of us today is “What’s the score in your playing for the Lord?” Are you winning or losing against satan?
Let’s begin by asking ourselves the question “If I died today where would I go?” Heaven will be the reward for those who won the spiritual battle for the Lord and hell will be for those who lost the spiritual battle. How does one know what the score is in their personal battle against the devil and sin? In II Corinthians 13:5 we are told “to examine ourselves to see whether or not we are in the faith.” Are you growing in your faith to be a good fighter for the Lord? Are you adding to your faith so you are prepared to be victorious? II Peter 1:5 tells us to “add to our faith courage, knowledge, self control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love.” Peter tells us that if we abide in these we will be victorious.
Every athlete must condition their mind and body to perform at peak performance. They practice everyday and eat and sleep properly.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself in determining what’s the score in your spiritual life.
1. How is your Bible study going?
2. How is your prayer life?
3. How is your giving to the Lord?
4. How are you using your tongue?
5. Are you letting your light shine?
6. How is your participation at worship services?
Hebrews 5:12 tells us that some will not grow in their faith. When the time comes for them to be teachers, they still need someone to teach them.
Let’s go back to the original question, “What’s the score?” If you are winning, keep fighting onward and upward. Many a game has been lost in the last minute and many a soul will be lost in the last minutes of life if they are not careful.
The game of life will be over one day for all of us. After death comes judgment by God. He has set the rules for judgment and he has been keeping the score in your life. On judgment day, he will tell you if you won or lost. If you are not a Christian, you have no Biblical promise of being victorious in Christ. If you are not a faithful Christian, you have no Biblical promise of being victorious in Christ. The prayer for all of us is by God’s grace that the final score for each of us will be “well done thou good and faithful servant.” You won!
