Jesus on GameDay

Alabama played Ole Miss about a month ago.  Several Alabama fans didn’t want to miss the game.  Let me be clear: they really didn’t want to miss the game.  So, they chartered a small plane to fly them from Fairhope to Tuscaloosa (the home of Alabama football).  About twenty miles from Selma, the plane had trouble.  Within minutes, one of the engines stopped and the plane went down.  The fans began to worry and prayed to Jesus for dear life.

The pilot made an emergency landing on a rural road, clipping both wings on treetops during the descent.  The plane came to a stop in a cotton field, allowing the passengers to exit.  The fans got on their knees, thanked Jesus for saving their lives, and then checked the time.  They still had time to make it to the game.  As any self-respecting ‘Bama fan would, they abandoned the plane in the field and hitched their way to Tuscaloosa.  To restate my earlier point: these fans really didn’t want to miss the game.

It is easy to make Jesus a priority when life hangs in the balance.  Things go really bad and we call on Jesus for dear life.  But, when things get better, we are tempted put Jesus back in his place.  We pay Jesus our respects in route to the real business of life – like football.

Jesus insists that He is in fact the real business of life.  In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father but through me.”  According to John, Jesus isn’t a part of life we dust off when things are bad.  Jesus is someone who gives life, sustains life, and then defines life.

As you go through the coming week, devote your life to Jesus the way Alabama fans devote themselves to football.  When you realize you have another day to live, look at your watch and say, “I’ve still got time to serve Jesus.”  He is the one who makes every part of life truly worthwhile – including game day in Tuscaloosa.