AB de Villiers, a South African cricket player, is known as an innovative stroke maker and match winner. He has the highest average in World Cup matches (63.53), the fastest 50 (16 balls) and fastest 100 (31 balls) among his many achievements. Fans know he is a nice guy, and from his autobiography published in 2016, we see that he was a devoted Christian.
When he recently retired, he mentioned that he is tired. He was such a joy to watch, as he could work the ball anywhere he wanted and would always play with boundless energy. But everyone gets tired. Even our heroes.
In his testimony, de Villiers gives all the glory to God and rightly so. We read in James 1:17:
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
There are two things to note here:
– God is the one who made de Villiers the gifted player he was. Whatever talent we have, we have received from Him. And we have an obligation to develop it.
– God Himself does not change. He does not get tired. He is the same God who helped Joshua and the Israelites have victory over Jericho. He is the one who chose you and me and gives us everything we need.
Let’s focus our adoration and praise on Him, who had the decisive victory over evil when he rose from the dead.
— Stephan van der Merwe
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