Sports Spectrum Daily Devotional - Wednesday, December 13, 2017

“Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.” Psalm 47:1

Standing Ovations

Football stadiums filled with tens of thousands of adoring fans are prone to erupt in celebration when the home team makes a big play or wins an important game. Long passes for touchdowns and dramatic tackling-breaking runs bring us to our feet as we stand, clap, and cheer.

Those are exhilarating moments when we can turn loose our emotions and spontaneously show appreciation and admiration for amazing athletic feats.

Much like music concerts, the passion we display at football games gives us a glimpse (only a glimpse) of the capacity of human beings to praise. It lets us see how God created us to get excited about something to which we assign great worth. It also confronts us with questions: What is worth more than anything? What or who is the most amazing of all? What was the greatest play ever run? Have I ever stopped to think that the real reason God gave me the capacity to enthusiastically stand, clap, and cheer was so that I could have an unbridled way to celebrate Him – the One who demonstrated His love by giving His Son Jesus’ life as a ransom for mine?

Take a private moment when you’re home alone to contemplate God’s worthiness, then look to the heavens and give the Lord a standing ovation, exclaiming, “Bravo, God, Bravo!”

— Charles Chandler

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