Jump Start # 659

Romans 12:11 “Not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.”

The Summer Olympics are on. Do you watch any of the games and do you get caught up in cheering for Team U.S.A.? I do. I love the Olympics. They are amazing. The world’s best going against one another. The skill level is unbelievable. Many of the athletes were in the last Olympics and a few competed in the one before that. Full time athletes. They train year round. When I hear that I ask, “don’t they have jobs?” I found out that they are funded and training and competing basically are their jobs.

When Olympians win there is a smile on their faces that is so genuine. When they fail, especially when they faltered, the tears are hard to watch. Olympians represent their country. They are sent not to compete but to win. They are all expected to win.

Today, shocking news from the Olympic badminton court. Two sets of teams are being investigated for not trying. Apparently one team from China did not want to face another team from China, so they hit the birdie into the net so often that an official warned them. A team from Korea did the same thing. Not trying at the Olympics?  Not giving your best? That’s not the Olympic spirit.

Our verse today takes us to the spiritual level of this—”Not lagging behind in diligence.” Lagging behind is the idea of falling off the pace. The group of runners are pulling away and one person is getting farther and farther behind. Lagging and diligence do not go together. Diligence is the idea of taking things seriously. Seeing to something, and getting about it. Lagging is just the opposite. It’s putting things off. It’s not giving 100%.

Our verse leads us to ask, “How hard are you trying?” We know that salvation is not based upon performance. God will not judge us as Olympian judges do. God’s grace and mercy is what saves us. Yet with that comes the spirit of trying. It is God’s apostle who wrote, “Not lagging behind in diligence…” God wants us to put forth our best effort. Give it all you have. Give 100%.

There may be reasons a person lags behind.

• Possibly it’s harder than what a person first thought. Christianity involves our all. It’s more than making it to the church building on Sunday morning—it defines and describes us. Attitudes, choices, language, clothing, are all affected by Christ. Thinking of others, putting others first is part of being a Christian. Some lag because it’s almost overwhelming to them. They go through life like a freshman on his first day of high school. His arms are full of books, he has his class schedule in hand, he’s trying to work the combination on the locker and overall he feels lost, overwhelmed and nearly defeated. The key is putting your mind to it. Think first. Pray. Get your order in order and then fill your heart with the word of God. The more you do that, the more your choices will reflect the spiritual. You can do it because God said so.
• Others lag because they have never made their faith a priority. Sure it’s important and they certainly want to go to Heaven but it’s not something that they think about every day. It’s there and they know they need to do something about it, but right now there are other things. This is lagging at its best! What else could be more important? The solution is simply put Christ first and seek the things above.

• Others lag because they compare themselves with others and feel hopelessly defeated. They tell themselves that they could never know the Bible like others. They could never do this and never do that. They feel outclassed and in way over their heads so they compete but not with heart and spirit. They lag. They defeat themselves. The solution is to not compare yourself with others. Do the best that you can do. Do what you have talents for. This is not a competition against others. This is all about glorifying God.
• Still others lag because they have not prepared themselves. They started out fine, but soon ran out of steam. Christianity isn’t something for a day, or even a week, but for a lifetime. Goals and plans are part of this race. Knowledge is important. Connection with others is important. Like a meteor that flashes across the sky and then is gone, so are some Christians. Their passion fades. Their commitment dies out. They settled into a lukewarm pace and are set on idle. They lag behind.

A person hurts themselves when they lag. They also hurt the church. A lagging church is made up of lagging members. We see this in some places. Putting off the things that ought to be done. Not trying very hard. Settled down. Comfortable. Not wanting to do much more. Those things just want to make me scream. GET UP! GET AT IT! There are things to do—even today. There are people who need you—even today. There are things to pray about—even today. There are things to be studied—even today. There are things to be taught—even today. Satan is knocking on your door—be diligent in resisting him. There are others who are dropping out because they are lagging behind—pick them up and help them. There is much to do. The race is not the time for sight seeing. The race is not the time to wave to the crowds. The race is not the time to admire your uniform. It’s time to get at it.

Sadly, those that lag, will soon be left behind. They will be caught in a real pickle—do they stay in Christ at their slow snail pace, barely hanging on, or do they drop out and join the world? Too much Christ to quit and too much world to make a difference. The life of one who lags is miserable. They miss the great marriage they could have. They miss the difference they could make in the lives of others. They are on the outside looking through the window. They need to come in and join the others. They need to be diligent.

The  Olympics ought to remind us that medals are not given to those who lag behind.

It’s time to let your light shine and get busy. Keep up with others. Set the pace for the rest of us. Be a front runner, not one who lags.

Roger