Behind the Bucking Chutes
Loving enemies is what we’re commanded to do
By PRCA Rodeo Photographer, Dave McKissick
Psalms 119:71 It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.
This verse has been a staple in my life the past few months. It has reminded me over and over that when afflictions or adversity come, the Word must always be the first place I look for answers and my guide on how to respond.
While I don’t enjoy the adversities, I greatly enjoy the opportunity to grow in my intimacy with Father through it.
For the past year I have been developing some discipleship material. Because the concept and principles of discipleship are so broad and interconnected it has been a very slow process. However, I believe that I am finally narrowing in on the true concept of discipleship, LOVE!
John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
The mark of Jesus’ disciples is love. Obviously, we are to love God, (Deut 6:5), our brothers (1 John 4:7-21), our neighbors (Lev 19:18), but we are also to love our enemies (Luke 6:27-36)! The world tells us that we have many enemies and that we are to turn our backs on them or try to destroy them, but Scripture commands us to love them! No options, no exceptions!
Scripture tells us that our words and actions come from our hearts (Pro 23:7 and Mat 15:18-19). Therefore, the first step towards discipleship must be guarding our hearts, filling it with godly thoughts and allowing the Spirit to control our responses to the world. Apathy and inertia (I don’t care and if I did care, I wouldn’t do anything about it) are not love and they may actually be the opposite of love. Either way, they are tools that Satan uses to keep us from loving. He fills us with the hate of the world and convinces us that it is right to hate “them” because of what they have done or because they are different from us. But that is not how Jesus tells us to act.
We all have “those people” who we don’t want to love but we must, WE MUST, overcome those biases and prejudices that allow us to be comfortable in our apathetic inertia, or actual hate towards them.
Seeing people as anything other than God’s creation, someone who God loves and Jesus died for, indicates a prejudice/bias towards that person. That is not love. Let us not forget that at one time, we were all enemies (haters) of God. How did He respond to us? (Rom 5:8-10)
The Christmas story is the best love story in history. May this be the year where we start embracing God’s example to love our enemies and to love like Jesus loved.
Be the reason someone asks you, “why?”
By Scott Hilgendorff / Cowboys of the Cross
Be the reason someone asks you why.
Not, why would you get on the back of a bull or why you’d risk your thumb roping.
But… Why did you pay that guy’s fees when you know you aren’t going to see the money again?
Why did you help that guy change a tire when you were already late for the rodeo? Why did quit drinking? Why did you just now decide to apologize for your part in that fight we got into last year?
Let your faith in Jesus change you so much that people start noticing it and asking why. And then, most importantly, be ready to explain it with your own clear understanding of the gospel: God’s plan for salvation that changed you.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
We know we aren’t going to be perfect the moment we have a saving faith in Jesus but God sees us as perfect anyway. When we have a saving faith in Jesus, that means the Holy Spirit is now at home in us and through that, we are now something new. Through the Holy Spirit, or sometimes we refer to Christ being in us as Paul says here, we begin a process known as sanctification; becoming more like Jesus every day. Whether we experience big changes all at once or little ones along the way, it can be different for each but proof to ourselves of our salvation is that we are different than we were before. When our saving faith is real, we are not left the same as we were.
Those changes are what people begin to notice and they may start asking different questions like why don’t we go to the bar with them anymore.
Sometimes our friends might feel like the changes we make mean we suddenly think we’re better than them or that we’re judging them when we start living differently from them. Sometimes they might see such a positive shift in our attitude that they want to know why or what happened.
Whether they approach us out of a negative or positive reaction, we need to be ready to explain it to them.
1 Peter 3:15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,
The hope Peter is referring to is our understanding that a perfect eternity is waiting for us in Heaven no matter how hard life here can get. He wants us to be ready to explain it to others who see we look at life differently now as Christians. This is a major way that others can come to a saving faith in Jesus through us.
If you identify yourself as a Christian but nothing about how your life is changing, let me ask you the hard question: why isn’t it?
Then let us offer to help you dig deeper into your faith and find a closer, changing relationship with Jesus.
Just because we can express an opinion doesn’t mean we should
By Scott Hilgendorff / Cowboys of the Cross
Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should. Social media gives everyone of us the ability to share our opinions. But does that mean we should? We are out there every chance we get expounding on what we think about issues. I mean, it’s our right after all, even when we don’t even know for sure if we’re right.
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
To fear the Lord doesn’t mean to be afraid of God but to approach Him with deep respect for who He is. Part of that is the source of all knowledge we should follow. A fool would ignore godly advice and instruction that they know comes either from their own reading of scripture or someone they know and trust is careful in how they teach it.
Proverbs 12:15 The way of fools seems right to them,
but the wise listen to advice.
For Christians, the first knowledge or biblical truth we should master is the gospel, God’s plan for salvation. When we have a saving faith in Jesus, a desire grows in us to become like Jesus and we do that by seeking knowledge and wisdom from scripture. As we learn, when we know it’s biblically correct, it’s ours to teach to someone else as we build relationships with other believers. We should all have people we know and trust are wise in the biblical counsel we give. As we grow, we should also become that person who others can trust.
We have to always be aware of fools in all things. There are fools sharing all sorts of ideas about every subject and issue you can imagine that can lead someone to harm and into false ideologies. There are Christians who mean well, and some who don’t, that share ideas about their faith that can actually lead us further from Jesus instead of toward him.
We have to be careful who we follow and as Christians, before we post an opinion we are burning to put out there, we should ask ourselves some questions first:
Do I know this is true?
Does it edify (lift another person up)?
If someone believes differently from me but knows I’m a Christian, does this make someone else want to pursue Christianity or does it turn someone away?
If it’s a believer seeing it, does it draw them closer to Jesus or away.
If it doesn’t help, and just adds to all the noise, maybe it’s best left unsaid so we can be thought of as wise and not a fool.
Proverbs 17:28 Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent,
and discerning if they hold their tongues.
Ranching equals continual learning, so does being a Christian
By Daryl Skeeter Spaulding / Cowboys for Christ, special to Cowboys of the Cross
To be a cattleman or cattlewoman, you must be an efficient multitasker.
Think about all the skills you have learned from hands on experience or continue to develop to be good at what you love doing. To be successful in this industry you wear many aprons, such as land and water manager, part time veterinarian, equipment operator, carpenter, mechanic, meteorologist and conservationist. Also, being a student of new ways of doing something means reading and studying, which is the goal you are striving for.
Living life with this mindset of continual learning has a Biblical principle to it. It reminds me of a passage
of scripture. The verse is 2 Timothy 2:15. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a
workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (NIV)
In my study of this text, I so appreciate the insight I get from multiple study Bibles I keep on my
bookshelf. When it comes to our approach to the Bible we should, read it, study it and memorize it.
The Bible – God’s inspired Word- is our only conclusive source of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding
ultimate realities. Correctly handling the word of truth is likened to a furrow being plowed straight for
planting and then harvesting a crop with a combine. The good workman must be accurate and clear in
his or her exposition of God’s Word, keeping to the road themselves and making it easy for others to
follow.
Another example of being a good cattleman is that you’re always learning to become
better than the day or year before and the reason to be in the Word is to have that better and best
relationship with Christ. That way you know in your heart the day-to-day decisions you make are the
right ones, no matter what the world is telling you contrary to the truth revealed in God’s Word.
The text calls us beyond a casual approach to the scriptures. Developing an attitude to learn so we can
grow into a deeper knowledge of God is sure worth having. The foremost thing you will find is that you are loved; yes, you. From that knowledge as the most fundamental truth, growing in Christ will take on new meaning. Ultimately, that’s an eternal goal worth striving for.
We take seriously what’s important to us, not a single cattleman with money invested
into their land or herd takes a casual approach to their operation. We receive a reward for stretching
ourselves when it comes to achieving growth. I believe it’s important to have knowledgeable resources
to draw from for your business in one hand and a Bible for growing in obedience to Christ in the other
hand. God bless you as you continue to do both.
Hidden horse teaches a Holy Spirit lesson
By Daryl Skeeter Spaulding / Cowboys for Christ
I feed my horse every morning before I head out for work. A few things come to mind that have really
been a blessing in my early morning adventure.
First, it’s been such a delight to be out there before dawn. The stars and the moon are truly amazing
without cloud cover and it’s a wonder to behold. When I look up there is no doubt in my mind that I’m
looking at God’s creation. Genesis 1:16 recalls the creation of sun, moon and stars. We can’t have a
bright moon without the sun and on a clear night the sky comes ALIVE!!! Almighty God really knew what
He was doing. The Big Dipper is one of my favorite constellations to gaze at. It will point you right to the
North Star. If you follow the two stars that make up the end of the dipper you will see it. It’s faint, so you
must train your eyes to look for it.
Secondly, I’ve been reading my Bible while I have my horse in one of the outdoor feeding stalls enjoying
his breakfast. It takes him about 20 minutes to finish his feed. I spend that time with my
Bible opened laying across the fence rail. If it’s still dark, I use a head lamp so I can read. I have found so many amazing
passages of scripture. Some whole chapters are exciting to read. Then I find these nuggets tucked in a
sentence that just catches my eye. One such instance is about having a willing heart and mind to serve
the Lord that’s found in 2 Chronicles 28:21. When I read that, I asked the Lord to give me a true heart of
worship and a willing mind to follow Him. That’s what I want!!!
Thirdly, one dark morning due to heavy cloud cover, I did not find my horse up at the feeding stalls like
usual. The light from the barn wasn’t much help. I thought to myself, “where is he”? as I went through
the gate and then looked for him momentarily. I was getting ready to pound on the gate with the brass
latch that we keep the gate closed with, it’s how I call him up when I need to. Then, I heard him nicker, I
know that nicker of his. He stepped out of the shadow. He was up there the whole time; I just didn’t see
him in the dark.
From time to time, I’ve heard the Holy Spirit whisper or nicker at me at just the right moment. It’s
always when I wasn’t expecting it. Most often it’s a particular verse in the Bible I’ve memorized, a
worship song on the radio or hymn I heard in church. I can’t necessarily explain it but it’s a faith builder
for sure.
This is why it’s so important to be in God’s Word as a regular habit, just because you love being in it. We
find proof of this in Romans 10: 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing the word of Christ. Jesus
also promised us the Holy Spirit in John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another
Helper, to be with you forever. And a little down in verse 26 we read, But the Helper, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all
that I have said to you. (All scripture is ESV)
Do yourself a favor; spend time in God’s Word and you just might hear the Holy Spirit nicker at you.
Our attitude about a stolen corn dog can reveal where our faith really is
By Scott Hilgendorff / Cowboys of the Cross
When is a corn dog not “just a corn dog”?
When our reaction to a couple stolen corn dogs completely undermines who Jesus is and what he did for us on the cross—the gospel.
A post from a cowboy justifying stealing a couple corn dogs from a gas station self-checkout because of a flaw in their system sparked a lot of back and forth from people raising the issue of stealing while a majority thought it laughable to call it stealing because it was “just a corn dog.”
One of the comments read like this: “like God doesn’t care if you steal a freaking hot dog, He’s got bigger things to worry about.”
Actually, He does care. If stealing a corn dog was the only sin that had ever been committed by anyone, Jesus still would have died on the cross for that person to have a chance to find salvation.
Yes, it’s that serious and to laugh it off or dismiss God’s response to any sin, is to outright reject what Jesus did for us on the cross. Not understanding why it’s a big deal and looking at it as stupid or trivial doesn’t somehow avoid the consequences of not comprehending the gospel. And it’s actually a ticket straight to hell.
Yes, it is that serious.
Romans 1:19-20 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
In a nutshell: God has revealed Himself through everything He made and we all have a chance to realize He exists and is real.
And the way so many people were reacting to a small-time theft shows how little a lot of people understand about the gospel and how to find eternal life in Heaven instead of eternal damnation in hell.
Those of us who have found a saving faith in Jesus and understand the gospel have a responsibility to share it with others so that they can know how to be saved from God’s judgement.
God won’t allow sin in His presence and will judge and condemn us for our sins. The punishment is eternal separation from God and for God to be a just and fair, we’re all condemned for any sin, big or small. A stolen corn dog is enough for God to judge and condemn you without a saving faith in Jesus.
Because God is a loving and fair God, He made a way so that we could all be saved from his wrathful judgement. He sent Jesus to live among us and eventually die on the cross to take the punishment for all our sins in our place. He took on the full wrath of God so that by us believing He was the Son of God, died and was resurrected three days later and by repenting of our sin and asking to be forgiven, we could be saved from hell and given a perfect eternity in Heaven when we die here.
As silly as it might seem to some, God doesn’t have bigger things to worry about than a corn dog. He cares about every one of us and wants us all to have a chance to not just acknowledge He exists, but to come to a saving faith in Jesus so we can be united with Him in Heaven for eternity.
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
There are a few things beyond a lack of understanding for the need of a savior that frustrate me about the comments around this issue.
Some of the same people who would holler and make a fuss about wanting The Ten Commandments posted in public places forget number eight on the list: “You shall not steal.”
One of the people seeing the post saw it as just another reason to see Christians as hypocrites and reject the Gospel. Our attitude toward a situation some made out to be trivial because it was just a $3 item of food actually helped push someone further away from wanting to ever be a Christian. That’s a pretty high price to pay for a corn dog.
The number of ways people justified stealing from it being the gas station’s fault for expecting us to check ourselves out to how much profit they make anyway, shows just how important it is to cling to our ‘freedom’ to sin. Our ignorance of the consequences doesn’t allow us to escape God’s judgement when our life here is over.
So no, it’s not just a corn dog. It’s one more chance to embrace Jesus or one more chance to ignore the gospel. There’s consequences to both: one horrible beyond our understanding and one better than we can possibly imagine. If you don’t have a saving faith in Jesus and you’re reading this, right now, you have just been faced with making a choice to ignore Jesus or pursue him.
Community of church just part of why we attend
By Daryl Skeeter Spaulding / Cowboys for Christ
Have you ever met someone who always finds fault in a church fellowship?
A great Baptist preacher I knew had a wonderful statement he said all the time, “Every time you point a finger at someone, you have three pointing right back at yourself”. How true that is! There are some folks who are never happy for very long in one place. We all have an expectation of what a church should be like in our own minds, but we as Americans are used to having things our way.
Attending church is so important to our spiritual growth, but it’s not a place to just park our carcasses down and expect to be served. We should go to be “a part” of something. “a part” does not mean idle. It’s good for all of us not to think too much of ourselves,” get out of our box” as the saying goes.
I have great memories being in Brazil for a summer mission trip. We worked in somewhat of a remote area constructing a building for a youth camp. The kitchen crew worked under a lean-to and each day they boiled large pots of water at a roll for 20 minutes for drinking and cooking for the following day. Our team traveled each Sunday to a different church to sing and talk about the work we were doing as part of the service. I’ll never forget seeing poor people travel by a small boat down river just to get to church. At other places they walked to get to church. And you can forget the fancy wood pews.
Maybe, you yourself have served on a mission trip here or abroad. Worked in a food pantry preparing boxes to give to those in need in your community or collected items for Samaritan Purse Christmas shoe boxes. At the “Brand of The Cross”, the cowboy fellowship where my wife and I attend, we collect items for those shoe boxes all year long for a packing party along with a chili cookoff competition. The whole fellowship gets involved; it’s a lot of fun.
Jesus was the perfect model for us when it comes to serving others. He washed the disciple’s feet just before His arrest. He needed to show them how to serve each other.
We find in the gospel of John 13:12-16. After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.
When you and I serve others, it takes the focus off ourselves. It’s a great remedy to becoming a nitpicker. God bless you as you go serve!
The Bible’s greatest ‘rancher’ sought wisdom first
By Daryl Skeeter Spaulding / Cowboys for Christ chaplain
The greatest rancher of all time in the Bible was King Solomon. His kingdom stretched many places surrounding Israel. He had the command of the entire region and a multitude of personal staff that no other ever achieved. How would you like to manage and feed that bunch?
Let’s have a look at how he did it. We find it in 1 Kings 4:22-26. “Solomon’s daily provisions were thirty cors (5 ½ tons) of the finest flour and sixty cors (11 tons) of meal, ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice foul. For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and had peace on all sides. During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, everyone under their own vine and under their fig tree. Solomon had four thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses”. (Bold letters and parentheses are added.)
That’s a lot of livestock, not to mention the waterfowl!!! Plus, all wheat and corn for the refining of flour and meal. Solomon was a ranching and farming mogul. It would have been a sportsman’s paradise. He both grew/raised the daily provisions and imported it from the countries under his influence. The definition of “daily” is what really struck me.
But what really made Solomon such a great man? This guy was about 20 years old when King David placed him on the throne. And now King Solomon was in charge before David passed. There are some indicators in Scripture that Solomon was not David’s first choice for his replacement. Being 20 years old with the world setting on his shoulders, does not exactly breathe confidence. This young King knew this as well. Solomon had a dream when God asked him a question. 1 Kings 3:5-15.
Starting with verse 5 we read— At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him,” Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for- both wealth and honor – so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” Then Solomon awoke-and he realized it had been a dream.
This is what made King Solomon so great!!! He wanted wisdom from Almighty God above anything else. I want my heart and attitude to be like this and I hope you do as well. Wouldn’t this attitude be great for every government official?
But let’s start with ourselves today. The first thing is to have a relationship with Almighty God through faith in Jesus Christ, reading the Bible daily and finding a good fellowship at church to do life with. All of this will lead to the wisdom we need to live a life pleasing to God.
Mary’s pregnancy shows us as men, how to “do the hard thing”
By Scott Hilgendorff / Cowboys of the Cross
As cowboys, whether on the ranching or the rodeo side, you aren’t afraid of hard work and you know how to be tough.
When it comes to difficult personal situations, now matter how tough we are, it isn’t always easy to ‘do the hard thing.’
When is the last time you gave a sincere apology when you messed up? When is the last time you admitted you messed up in the first place? I think pride sometimes makes us feel like doing the right thing is a sign of weakness.
It’s actually just the opposite and it’s Joseph in another part of the Bible’s teachings on the birth of Christ, that shows us this. The verses in the second chapter of Luke are often referred to as “The Christmas Story” but in another part of the teachings about Jesus’s birth in Matthew 1, Jospeh shows us what it really means to do the hard thing.
Matthew 1:18-25 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
Mary’s pregnancy would only be seen as adultery in this culture without them being able to understand God’s plan. The consequences for Mary would be facing being stoned to death. The consequences for Joseph were tremendous shame but again, in that culture, it would be far more devastating than what we can understand today.
But without yet knowing God’s plan, Joseph already sets a standard that is hard to meet: he is willing to end his betrothal quietly to prevent Mary from shame and potential harm. Once he understands God’s plan, he goes ahead and bears the shame their community would place on them by staying with Mary and doing as God commanded through the angel.
This is what it means for a man to do the hard thing.
Confessing our sin is hard. Admitting a mistake and asking to be forgiven. Paying back a debt months or even years after a friendship was ruined by it. There will be moments ahead for each of us to set aside our pride and even face a little shame or embarrassment in order to “do the hard thing” by doing the right thing.
Do the hard thing anyway. There’s nothing weak about that.
Sometimes the answers to a choice are clear, always they can be found in scripture
By Scott Hilgendorff / Cowboys of the Cross
A question I’ve been asked a lot over the years from the cowboy crowd is, “How do I know what God wants me to do?”
Often times, it has to do with one of two things: sorting out when to retire from the rodeo and find out what else to do in life or what to do about a relationship.
In one case, the young man was sincerely struggling. He was dating a girl and it was getting really serious for him but she was wanting to go back to her husband. He didn’t think her husband was right for her and that he could give her a far better life. He thought she was perfect for him and was hurt deeply that she would leave him after they had moved in together. He didn’t know why God would take her away from him or what he should do to try to convince her to stay.
Now, for must of us, this is pretty straightforward with or without the Bible. You let her go back to her marriage.
But for Christians, this should still be one of the easiest decisions to sort out. Sure, it hurts to lose a relationship that is important to you but the Bible offers lots of teaching against adultery and certainly in Old Testament laws, the punishment for it was severe.
Leviticus 20:10 If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
While we know when Jesus came, he turned a lot of these rules upside down. He kept the religious elite from stoning a woman to death for it but he still recognized and called out adultery as a sin.
Not everything in the Bible is as clear as this situation and issues can get complicated on what the Bible teaches about divorce and remarriage with some churches still take a hard stand on this also being adultery.
But for this young man’s dilemma, if he truly wanted to know what God wanted him to do, there are verses that make it clear he has no choice but to let her go back to her husband and no longer interfere in that marriage. Further, if he truly seeks God’s will, he would realize his actions were sinful and they both were in need of repenting.
There are many verses that give us clear direction that can apply to countless daily situations. Jesus commands us to be kind to others, he tells us to share our faith with others, he tells us to live in ways that honor God.
For the situations that are less clear, we still have to seek God’s will first in scripture and prayer but also through the counsel of those we trust to also be digging into God’s word for the direction we are supposed to take.
Our second example, of whether or not it’s time to quite rodeo doesn’t necessarily have clear Bible verse, but with a growing understanding of what is in scripture, we can look at issues about how the sport is affecting our family or personal life, our finances, our health and we can find other verses that might lead us to a decision that it is better for us to pack it in. Other verses could show us how the sport has become an opportunity for us to minister to others and share the gospel and there could be very compelling Biblical reasons that God would want us to stick with it.
Sometimes it’s easy to know what God wants us to do and sometimes it’s hard. Always, there are answers and guidance in scripture.