THE END ZONE

(Post by: Lilly Hobbs)

I think it’s about time that I write a post specifically to The Few, (aka the people who are serious about living for Jesus) because most of my posts are intended to challenge the Church (all of us) to do better. Oh, who am I even kidding? That’s pretty much all of my posts, ha!

I want to write a post to the people who are known as the “radical one” at their church, and those who try to make every conversation they have relate back to Jesus. To the person who has moral standards and is not afraid to do the right thing when everyone around them chooses the opposite. The one who lives to spread the Gospel and share with others how Christ has transformed your life.

Yeah. This post is for you.

I know that you wake up each morning and lay your head down on the pillow at night, thinking that you could have done better. You could have been better at reading the Word or praying consistently, and you beat yourself up about it.

I know that you tried to disciple that person in your life who was really excited about the Lord in the beginning, but then ended up walking away without ever really saying why. I also know that when people ask you about them, you feel like an utter failure and have no idea what to say in reply.

I know that you do not have a lot of people in your life who you can genuinely trust and do life with, because most people just don’t get it.

I know that every time you have a breakthrough with someone, you have a hard time not expecting an even bigger disappointment from that same individual a week later.

I know that it is hard to be serious about Jesus and be someone that chooses to follow Him despite the discouragement and difficulty of it.

But I want to take a minute to remind you of why you should continue to persevere…

If I need a little motivation to keep going, I usually watch a clip from the movie Facing the Giants. If you have not seen it yet, then wow. Every Christian should seriously be required to watch it. There is a clip in the movie where one of the football players, whose name is Brock, makes up his mind that their team is terrible and that they will certainly lose their next game.

The coach, who just heard Brock speak that to the whole team during practice, tells him and another guy to come out on the field. The coach then proceeds to blindfold Brock and tell him that he wants him to do the death crawl with the other player on his back all the way to the 50-yard line.

Brock makes up some excuses, but nonetheless, the coach tells him that he wants his very best. Brock agrees, and at first, he doesn’t do too bad. But as he continues, he starts to get weak and wants to take breaks. The coach walks beside him, telling him not to quit until he has nothing left.

Constantly telling Brock that he only had a little further to go.

As he gets farther out, the other players who were sitting on the sidelines, start to stand up to see how far he can go. Brock starts to yell at the coach that it hurts and that the player on his back is heavy.

This is the moment where the coach gets down on his knees and starts to crawl beside him, yelling back at Brock, telling him to keep going and that he cannot give up.

To just give him 30 more steps. Then he can be done.

Brock continues to yell that it burns, and the coach yells back to let it burn. At this point in the clip, the other players are walking across the field to see how far Brock can go.

The coach tells Brock to take two more steps and then he can quit. He takes the two steps and falls to the ground and buries his face in the grass. The coach takes Brock’s blindfold off and tells him to look up.

Brock is in the end zone.

The coach then tells him this… “Brock, you are the most influential player on this team. If you walk around defeated, so will they.”

I tell you this story to remind you of the purpose. The reward. And the reason why we persevere as one of the few.

Romans 5:3-5 says, “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

God has blindfolded us and has kept us from seeing the reason in so many things, because He knows that the few will continue to press on.

Christian, in case you are not hearing me clearly, let me say it in a different way. You are one of the most influential players that God has. Do NOT walk around defeated or the world around you will too.

Leonard Ravenhill once said, “Great eagles fly alone, great lions hunt alone, great souls walk alone- alone with God. Such loneliness is hard to endure, and impossible to enjoy unless God accompanied. Prophets are lone men; they walk alone, pray alone, and God makes them alone.”  (Leonard Ravenhill)

You might be the only one, but don’t you dare give up. Let it burn.

You’re almost in the end zone.

“I am coming soon. Hold fast to what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.” (Revelation 3:11)

SO WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE?

= Are you often tempted to give up?

= What is your favorite thing about living for Jesus?

= What are you going to do differently?