[432 words]
Deion Sanders has worn numerous monikers. Neon Deion. Prime Time. These days he is referred to as Coach Prime.
Sanders was undisputedly one of the greatest athletes of his generation as he was a two-sport star in both professional baseball and football. These days he is the head football coach for the University of Colorado. At this writing, his Buffaloes are 3-0 and rising in the rankings. No matter your rooting interests, his team is exciting to watch and the story has captured national headlines.
Recently it was his opponent who made the news. Colorado State’s head coach criticized the way Coach Prime dressed and conducted himself in formal settings such as interviews. He said, “When I talk to grownups, I take my hat and glasses off, that’s what my mother taught me.” Same here. But that isn’t the point.
The point is, Sanders did not like it one bit. He used it as motivation for his team. He said, “It was just going to be a good game, but they messed around and made it personal!”
This line of reasoning got me to thinking…
So Colorado was only going to give 95 percent effort before, but now that it is “personal” they will give 100 percent effort? No…we all know what he meant. We understand what he is saying. When you take issues and tasks “personally” there is something different about the way you approach them and attempt to carry them out.
It is long past time that we take matters of our Christian lives personally.
What if someone disparages the church or the name of God? We should take that personally. Jesus did. When Paul was terrorizing the church, Jesus said, “Why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4).
What if we know someone is lost and has not heard or obeyed the Gospel? We should take that personally. Paul did. He voiced the desire to change places with those who were lost and condemned (Rom. 9:3). The deepest desire of his heart was for the lost to be saved (Rom. 10:1).
What if we have grown cold in our love for the Lord? We should take that personally. We should humbly return to the One who loves us and reciprocate that love with repentance and good works (Rev. 2:4-5).
When Jesus died on the cross for us, He made it personal (Rom. 5:8). When Satan asks to sift and destroy those who belong to the Lord, He makes it personal (Luke 22:31). When it comes to your life in Christ, now it’s personal.
Bart Warren
South Green Street church of Christ
Glasgow, KY