“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” — 2 Corinthians 4:6
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In an NFL locker room, coaches and journalists see some of the biggest and strongest men in the world. These athletes tower over almost everybody, and it often feels like they have everything going for them. It seems like they easily get the girlfriend and have the money to buy the huge house and nice cars and fancy travel. So many professional athletes don’t think they need God because they have so much going for them, and they can fall into following the dark path of drugs and recklessness. But thank God for sports chaplains because most preachers don’t have an opportunity to speak directly to players who need God as much as anybody else.
In many cases, chaplains make themselves available when players go through a crisis and are ready to listen, speaking truth into hard places. There are stories upon stories of young athletes coming into college or onto a new team, carrying the weight of their past and holding strong opinions about religion. Many times they’ll see teammates or coaches or friends that are Christians who have an inner happiness they don’t have, and it is attractive to them. As they begin to learn about Jesus and read the Bible — even if they go into it thinking they’ll find faults and contradictions — they often come out of the darkness and into the light thanks to encountering Christ in their journey.
In a similar way, Saul lived as a bloodthirsty destroyer of Christians for a number of years, but he saw a light on the Damascus Road that brought him to his knees. At first, the sudden change from Pharisee Saul to Apostle Paul was unbelievable to people like Ananias. And yet God asked Ananias to obey Him in a task that would require him to intentionally encounter Saul.
Ananias questioned God’s directive because of Saul’s reputation. “‘Lord,’ Ananias answered, ‘I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.’ But the Lord said to Ananias, ‘Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel'” (Acts 9:13-15).
Later, Ananias and many others saw the power of the Holy Spirit in Paul’s life as he traveled as a missionary delivering the Good News to as many people as possible while enduring torture and so much more. When Paul wrote to Timothy, he spoke about his conversion to Christ as an example for everyone. “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 1:12-14).
Thank God for His great patience and love extended to us to bring us away from the darkness of the world and to the light of God. Before Christ came into our lives, we stumbled along in the darkness (and may still foolishly run back into it occasionally). But as believers we can rejoice in the light of truth and salvation, and shine God’s glorious light in communities all over the world.
— Bill Kent, Pastor of Memorial Baptist Church, Sylvania, Georgia
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