Put On the Pads

The St. Louis Rams are on the move again. The people of St. Louis have football fever. When the Rams have been a winning team, it creates an excitement in this old sports town.
The Rams have made it to two of the last three Superbowls -–winning a close game in the year 2000 and losing a close game in 2002. Their exciting style of fast and open play has made them the darlings of football spectators across the country.
Every major metropolitan area in the U.S. (and even in Mexico, Canada, and Europe) is looking for an NFL franchise. It is as if a city does not have any real "personality" without a football team. People want to see the action of football. The players have to be tough.
The popular modern proverb states, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going!" Those in the Christian community know that life can be especially tough for those who decide to follow after Jesus Christ.
It seems silly to compare believers to unbelievers regarding the hardness of life, since life is pretty hard on everyone. Yet, it is quite important that Christians understand that they can deal with the tough life.
Jesus said that our heavenly Father "makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust" (Matthew 5:45). It any try to escape the toughness of life by becoming a Christian, they're in for a sad surprise.
Now that we understand that life is tough, what will we do about it? Taking the advice of the proverb above, the tough get going. What does this mean?
Football is a rough sport, and the players get knocked around pretty hard. It would be silly for a team playing NFL football to show up on the field without pads or helmets. To show up for the game in a T-shirt and sweat pants would be a bad choice.
For the Christian, it's even more critical to be prepared for the toughness of life – to have the right equipment. Satan isn't playing football! Your soul is his objective, and he never gives up. His "team" fights hard and rough.
Strangely, many Christians think that they are "not in the game". They sit in the stadium and watch life go by much like the spectators at a football game. They often have the attitude that the Church has fielded her team against the enemy, those "front-liners" who've sacrifice themselves to try to assure a winning Church.
Though they appreciate the team greatly, they just can't picture themselves getting into the game – getting down on the field and playing rough. They say that they are not in shape. They say that they couldn't make the team because they don't have the ability. They just want to be "fans".
What a deception! They need to wake up and realize that we're all front-liners, we're all on the team. The opposition of Satan doesn't allow any of us to sit and watch.
The game is not being played where we might think it is. Our own minds are the primary battlefield, and we are in the game whether we want to be or not. Don't be fooled – you're on the team and you're going to get roughed up!
There is a false concept that might be called "toughness avoidance". Simply, this idea proposes that the "rain of life" can be avoided by staying indoors and stress can be effectively handled by "going shopping" or "hitting the golf course" or "going fishing".
The problem is that our problems don't go away. A trip to Penney's or Famous-Barr's or Dillard's, with a brief stop at the frozen yogurt place or coffee shop isn't solving any of the problems of life. Nothing wrong with any of that, but if you think you can check out for an afternoon – that you can sit in the stands and not play the game – guess again.
No, the tough get going, They get equipped, they get determined, and they play the game. But the game we play is fantastically different than NFL football. The rules are weird.
The "Saints", our team, are playing the "Demons". Our team coach is Jesus Christ. Their coach is Satan.
Everyone on the Saints, you and I, are endowed with the ability to play our position with more talent than the opposing player can handle. Our coach, "JC", calls all the plays on offense and defense AND HE HAS STUDIED THE PLAYBOOK OF THE OPPOSING TEAM AND KNOWS EXACTLY HOW TO CONTROL EVERY SITUATION. In fact, Jesus is such a talented player Himself, that when things seem a little too rough, He comes out on the field and takes our place playing our position to perfection.
In all honesty, this game is not really a contest because it has been determined beforehand that THE SAINTS MUST WIN – THEY CAN'T LOSE!
What a weird football game! Who would ever pay to see a game that stacked so much in favor of one team?
And the equipment for offense and defense that we wear is "out of this world". Let's listen in to the pre-game "pep-talk" that Jesus gives to the team in the locker room before the game. The apostle Paul overheard it and recorded it in Ephesians 6:10-17:
OK, team, I want to remind you that your strength must come from My mighty power within you. Strap all of God's equipment tightly in place to use against all the strategies and tricks of Satan. That other team may look strong to the fans in the stands, but with what we know about them and with the talent that we have, they are just a bunch of "pussy-cats".
Every piece of your equipment is important to resist the attack of their team, and when it's all over, you will be celebrating and they will be flattened.
But to do this, you have the best-make hip pads of TRUTH and the shoulder pads of God's RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Your Nike football shoes have been constructed with the GOSPEL OF PEACE. Their cleats are perfect for the stadium turf allowing you perfect mobility.
And what a shield for the running-back that offensive line of FAITH is! The enemy will never get to the ball carrier.
You've got a helmet of SALVATION. Your helmets are electronically wired for sound directly to Me. They will protect your head and at the same time allow Me to direct your thinking.
And the quarterback has a "sword" of an arm which is the WORD OF GOD. He can pass the ball with perfection to any receiver and to any area of the field.
OK, team. This is it! Just remember that all you have to do is listen to Me at all times, and TRUST Me in every situation, and I will GUARANTEE that you CAN'T LOSE!
LET'S GO!
All right, so I did paraphrase Ephesians a little bit. But the idea is there, The tough get going. They get their faith locked upon Christ, they hold on hard until their knuckles turn white. They demonstrate their dedicated trust and undying devotion. They realize that there is nothing that Christ will allow to happen to the team. Every strategy can be met and answered by reliance upon His power and guidance.
No matter how much they continue to win, the St. Louis RAMS will never have this kind of team. They will never have the perfect Coach. They will never go undefeated. Because their equipment will never match the "Saint's".
BUT, ANYWAY, THAT'S OK –
GO RAMS!

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