I’ve been a sports fan my whole life. Although sports have changed and adapted at times, with new technology and different rules, many aspects have remained the same.
While following sports over the years, this is what I’ve been led to believe:
Any professional sporting event has to have fans in attendance.
The NBA Finals kick off the summer.
MLB’s All-Star Game and Home Run Derby must take place in the summer.
The U.S. Open Golf Tournament is what we watch on Father’s Day.
Earning a home-court advantage is what the NBA regular season is all about.
The NBA Draft always takes place in June after the Finals and we know many of the prospects from watching March Madness.
NBA Free Agency provides excitement during the 4th of July week.
With the sports calendar flipped upside-down because of the pandemic, it’s hard to wrap my mind around how different my sports viewing habits are going to be for the next few months.
The perspective I’ve always had on when and how sporting events take place has been altered drastically. For example, I can’t think the same way I always have about the NBA Playoffs because now teams are going to be playing in the same location, with a new schedule, and players will be coming off of a four to five-month break.
Normally, we'd think the top seeds from the regular season would coast through the early rounds and the value of home-court would give them a major edge, but now it’s a whole new world and mindset.
As sports fans, we probably wouldn’t have chosen for the sports world to experience such an upheaval, but now we must reconstruct what we used to believe about our favorite sports and look through a new lens.
When it comes to how we think about even more important things in life, there are many thoughts we used to believe about ourselves, others, the world, and God before becoming a follower of Jesus.
Many of these are lies that were taught to us growing up or were caused by our circumstances, but in reality, they conflict with what is true.
When we decide to follow Jesus, we must go through a complete renewal of our mind and replace our former way of thinking with the truth of God’s Word. We must reconstruct the beliefs that come from a worldly perspective by allowing God’s transformative power to help us see through a new lens.
Paul writes about our need for renewal in Romans 12:2 (ESV): "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
When we begin to think differently, we’ll start to act, feel, and respond in a renewed way. It requires replacing our old mindsets with God’s truth and yielding to His will for our lives.
As sports fans, we can hang onto how sports used to be and cling to how we think the sports leagues should be operating right now...or we can renew our minds and embrace the new sports world.
More importantly, God wants us to let go of the lies and sinful mindsets we’ve carried for so long and embrace the new life He’s designed that is rooted in truth.
Today, as we pursue a renewed mind and holy life, let’s allow Jesus’ prayer in John 17:17-19 (AMP) to be an encouragement:
“'Sanctify them in the truth ; Your word is truth. Just as You commissioned and sent Me into the world, I also have commissioned and sent them (believers) into the world. For their sake I sanctify Myself , so that they also may be sanctified in truth.'”
I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please reveal to me the old mindsets and lies that need to be replaced with Your truth. I pray You’d renew my mind and help me view life and circumstances through a Biblical lens and eternal perspective. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Discussion Questions for PACKS:
What specific mindsets do you have toward life or yourself that needs to be renewed?
Why is it so important to know the truth of God’s Word in order to combat the lies we're told?
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