In the Arena

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.
(2 Timothy 4:7, NLT)

Former US President, Theodore Roosevelt showed he understood truly leadership when he said, "It's not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of good deeds could have done better.

"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena: Whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again...

"Who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause...

"Who, at best, knows the triumph of high achievement...

"And who, at worst, if he fails at least fails while daring greatly so his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

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Spectator Sport

Dr Howard Hendricks tells the story of how one day a junior reporter went along to interview the famous former coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Tom Landry. His first question to him was, "Mr Landry, what would you say has been the contribution of football to the health of our nation? To which he got the rather surprising reply, "absolutely nothing." The reporter was somewhat taken aback and asked him if he would mind expanding on that. "Well," said Landry in his Texan drawl, " I define football as eleven men on the field desperately in need of rest and 50,000 people on the stands

desperately needing exercise."

Being an onlooker in the arena of Christian living is also risky. The wrong things go up, and the wrong things go down. Criticism, discouragement, disillusionment and boredom go up. Sensitivity to sin, human need, divine resources and an appreciation of God's Word go down.