Playing to Win

May, 2005

by: Dave Hintz

Being the shameless sports junkie that I am, I must say that I love March with all of the madness of the college basketball tournament. April only gets better as the NBA season wraps up, and May and June usher in basketball bliss as elite teams march towards the NBA championship. From watching and participating in countless basketball games in my lifetime, I have noticed two prevalent attitudes: playing to win and playing not to lose. When a team plays to win, they have an overall plan which they execute by aggressively taking the ball to the basket, fighting with emotional abandon, and defending with focused intensity. On the other hand, when a team plays not to lose, they often show up without a focused plan, try to respond to the other team’s advances, and panic when the flow of the game does not go their way. These teams play without passion, are always on the defensive, and end up losing.

These two mindsets are pervasive among Christians as well. Some live their lives with abandon while others merely try not to mess up. Perhaps sensing such complacency in the Corinthian Church, Paul penned the powerful words of 1 Corinthians 9:24: “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.” For Paul, there was only one way to run, and that was running to win Thus, in this article we shall examine three characteristics of a Christian who runs to win.

Aggressive: When a team plays not to lose, they play “tight.” In other words, they are fearful of making mistakes, and avoid aggressive play because it is too risky. In a similar way, Christians who play not to lose do not take risks. When the offering plate comes around, they want to give but not enough to strain their budget. When they have an opportunity to share the Gospel with their boss at work, they let it pass, not wanting to jeopardize their job. When the topic of religion comes up with the relatives they keep quiet, not wanting to cause a disturbance. When a pastor offers them a chance to teach a Sunday School class they turn it down for fear that they will blow it. This kind of life does avoid trouble, but it is not a life of faith. Consider the example of Abraham. God called upon him to move 900 miles to an unknown land, away from his family, people, and way of life; a very risky endeavor. Yet he operated in faith, stepping forward and trusting God. His fear of God dwarfed his fear of the unknown, thus he complied with God’s command. Aggressive Christians fear the Lord more than the world’s opposition, life circumstances, and the critical eyes of other Christians. They are shameless about their evangelism. They fearlessly give, trusting that the Lord will provide. And they serve with abandon, intent on pleasing the Lord and trusting that His grace will cover their shortcomings.

Resilient: When a basketball team plays not to lose, they endeavor to play perfectly. One errant pass or thoughtless turnover could shatter their confidence and dampen their resolve. In the same way, Christians who live not to lose often become obsessed with their sin. In their quest to live a sinless life, each transgression is utterly devastating, prompting a period of morose self-examination. Now there is nothing wrong with being remorseful over sin, and self-examination can be a good thing, but we must realize that too much deliberation over the state of our souls can distract us from aggressively living the Christian life. Paul did not continually look back to assess the state of his soul; he had a job to do and a purpose to accomplish: “Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim” (1 Corinthians 9:26). Commenting on this very verse, Jonathan Edwards wrote, “[Paul] obtained assurance of winning the prize, more by running than by considering. The swiftness of his pace did more towards his assurance of a conquest than the strictness of his examination.” Christian, if you want assurance, run to win. When you fall down, confess your sin, dust yourself off and keep running hard. Life is too precious to waste in the mire of perpetual self-doubt.

Optimistic: A team who plays not to lose panics when the momentum of the game shifts against them. When faced with adversity or a seemingly insurmountable deficit, they give up, sensing that they can never come back. In the same way, Christians who run not to lose too easily give up on our culture. In their minds they are going “to hell in a hand basket”, so the best we can do is bunker ourselves in the church and hope that they do not corrupt us. In contrast, a Christian who plays to win has a quiet confidence that God will be victorious in the end, and fearlessly proclaims His Word to the lost. Paul had this confidence, as seen in 2 Corinthians 2:14-16: “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life.” Whenever he preached the Gospel Paul knew that he would always win. Correspondingly, a Christian who plays to win holds this optimistic view of the triumph of God. When she encounters opposition, she sees it as a fulfillment of Jesus’ promises to His disciples, that they would suffer as their Master suffered (John 15:20). When confronted with a God-hating atheist who virulently attacks her, she thinks of Saul and knows that no person is outside of God’s grace. For her, family gatherings are not times of awkward conversations with the heathen who happen to share her genes, but rather opportunities to share her faith and show God’s love in hopes that He might grant them repentance. Finally, an optimistic Christian persists in praying for her God-hating dad, imagining his character transformed by knowing Christ.

Believers are called to play to win and live life with abandon. Christian, you have been placed upon this earth by the living God and commanded to change the world. Don’t let the very world that you are called to change or intimidate you to silence. Take risks for God. Bounce back when you fall. And see the possibilities to make God great.