It’s almost time for March Madness as NCAA men’s basketball teams finish out their regular season play in hopes of winning their way through the tournament bracket. It’s been an exciting season for some and disappointing for others. It’s no mistake that many of the best teams in the tournament will have a strong reserve with lots of talent on the bench. This is especially important when injuries bench some of the strongest players on a team.
We learned this week that Kentucky’s second-leading scorer, guard Jaxson Robinson, will undergo surgery and miss the rest of the season. It’s a tough blow for a team that has been forced to navigate through much of the season with an ever-changing roster of availability because of multiple injuries — Kerr Kriisa’s foot surgery, Andrew Carr’s back problems, and Lamont Butler’s injured shoulder. When your starters are out, the rest of the team must step up. Fortunately for Kentucky, the other players on the team step up at those times and give 110%. We (yes, I’m a UK fan) have many great players who are eager to get out there and prove themselves. While every one of them would prefer to be a starter, the rules of basketball limit each team to only five starting players.
Allow me to pivot here and ask a couple of questions – when was the last time you shared the gospel with someone? Do you serve locally or globally on mission, or support those who do? While basketball limits play to five players on the court at a time, there is no limit to how many may serve simultaneously as witnesses of the Gospel. If you are a follower of Christ, God expects you to be on mission and actively engaging lost people with the Gospel. We’re commanded to be witnesses in our community, state, nation and around the world (Acts 1:8). Yet, we look more like benchwarmers waiting to relieve someone who’s been hurt or has fouled out.
There is no such thing as a benchwarmer in the Kingdom of God. We are called and expected to be Great Commission players. Every believer has been uniquely gifted to serve (1 Corinthians 12) as a witness of Christ. Every Christ follower is to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered” (Jude 3). So, if you’ve been sitting the bench waiting for the appropriate time, it’s now! The clock is ticking, and many people still have not heard the Gospel. So, get out there and join God in the exciting role of mission service and gospel witness, because there’s a lot more at stake than an NCAA championship.
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