“I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restrain upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord” (I Corinthians 7:35).
The roots of soccer are traced back to England. But in 1314, King Edward II prohibited the game due to excessive noise. We find this difficult to believe since the fan experience complete with a loud stadium is what adds excitement to all sports. Despite this edict, the game of soccer grew into the most popular sport in the world. In 1848, Cambridge University drafted the first rules of the sport. Then, in 1863, the Football Association (FA) was established in England. In 1904, the world governing body of soccer was formed (FIFA) in Paris, France. Soccer is a game played around the world making it the most popular sport on the planet.
Teams are often upset due to the pressure of large crowds. Creative game directors help achieve this with music, announcements, and even the sale of alcohol to get the home fanbase rowdy. One statistic says that crowd noise plays such a vital role in winning that 85% of the time it’s the home team who wins in basketball. Just as excessive fan noise can often distract athletes from performing their best, Christians also can be distracted by the noise surrounding them.
The Apostle Paul writes to Christians telling them his desire “to secure [their] undivided devotion to the Lord” (I Cor 7:35). One translation reads Paul’s desire: “that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction”. The phrase “undivided attention” is interesting. It means “may attend upon” and comes from another word that means “sitting constantly by”.
As Christians, we are to give our undivided attention to the Lord, sitting by Him constantly with no distractions and full devotion. Just as fans are unreservedly devoted to their team and show up for games with their undivided attention as they sit and watch, so too are God’s people called to have the same loyalty to their Lord.
In the context of I Corinthians 7, Paul writes about marriage. His overall point is that marriage is a gift from God and a good thing. If one finds a spouse and desires strongly to get married, they should. This is good and right. After all, God created Eve for Adam because He said, “it is not good that the man should be alone” (Gen 2:18). At the same time, there are a few people called to singleness. Paul admits this is a rare thing. But either way, whether married or not married, he writes that Christians “secure [their] undivided devotion to the Lord”.
Athletics requires the sort of commitment found in a marriage since sports involve great sacrifice, perseverance, selflessness, and love of the game. But like a marriage, when Christians make their participation more about themselves than others, their effectiveness diminishes. This is especially true in team sports.
Athletes often feel lonely. The pressures of teammates, coaches, an organization, media, and fanbase can lead to anxiety, depression, and the loss of joy in the game. The key for Christian athletes is to remember that even while they are playing the game and have fans cheering for them that they are to be God’s fan. The same loyalty shown to them by their fans, they in turn, should show to God.
Scripture gives many examples of otherwise successful and gifted people who got distracted. They took their eye off the ball. As a result, their devotion to the Lord was compromised. Samson was distracted by what he didn’t have. He was gifted with supernatural strength but got distracted in his relationship with Delilah (a woman he wanted badly). She cut his hair making him lose his strength (Judges 13-16).
David was a man after God’s own heart but was distracted from what he did have. He had tremendous responsibility as king and should have been on the battlefield directing his troops. It seems the pressures got to him. He needed to get away. Distracted from his heavy responsibilities on his roof top, he saw Bathsheba, and ended up in a sinful relationship that would distract and destroy his life with severe consequences to follow (2 Sam 11:1 ff.).
And then there was Martha who was distracted from what was right in front of her. Instead of sitting at Jesus feet and listening to his teaching like her sister Mary, she got lost in serving Jesus. Luke 10:40 says that Martha “was distracted with much serving”. She was making preparations for Jesus’ visit with them. But her fault was not that she wanted to serve Jesus, but that she was distracted in what she was doing for Him instead of focusing on being with Him. She was deed focused instead of devotion focused. Jesus challenged her to check her heart and commended Mary for just “sitting constantly by His side” (Lk 10:38-42).
Undivided devotion to the Lord (sitting constantly by His side) is a prerequisite for a Christian athlete. One’s communion with God through prayer and study of Scripture will keep an athlete focused even when fans, coaches, and teammates are not so loyal. Recognizing one’s identity in Christ can steel a Christian athlete in the fires of adversity. Don’t be distracted by outside voices. Be with God. Listen to God. And live for the glory of God.