Henry Drummond once remarked, “How many prodigals are kept out of the kingdom of God by the unlovely characters of those who profess to be inside!”
To be sure, the statement is not theologically precise, but the point rings out loud and clear. The way we live our lives, our behaviors, our language, our kindness, our patience, our forgiveness, our acceptance, our critical spirit and so much more, paints a portrait of the God whom we profess to have faith in, to love, and to serve.
So based on the confession of your life today, what kind of God do those around you think you love and serve?
Loving and serving God
For the first decade of my salvation (1995-2005), those around me saw a picture of a God who was slow to listen, quick to speak and extra quick to get angry–and my anger was man-centered, not God-centered. Because I had been a coach and trainer for so many years, a performance based mind-set was simply part of my DNA.
In sports, coaches play their best athletes based on a number of factors, including performance. When athletes perform well, they get to play and the coach is happy. When they do not perform well, they sit on the bench and the coach is not so happy. I carried this mindset over into my personal life. If you performed up to my expectations, I was happy; if you did not, I was sad, disappointed or angry!
Rev. Tommy Boland is the men’s minister and sports minister at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church. He also teaches adult Sunday school. For more information, including Bible study resource materials, please e-mail [email protected] or visit www.tommyboland.com. For more articles by Dr. Tommy Boland, visit goodnewsfl.org/tommy-boland.
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