I think I have mentioned in this blog that, as a kid, I was an avid basketball fan and also loved to play the game. Back in those days, basketball was not popular enough to be on television so us faithful few would tune into games on our trusty transistor radios. I was very young when I began my infatuation for the game and at that time there was no team in Chicago. The best team in the Midwest was the Minneapolis Lakers, so they became my team. Trouble was that not long after I claimed them they moved to the city of my dreams, Los Angeles.
Yeah, if I haven’t mentioned it as a city kid, I didn’t dream of lush forests or living on a farm. I wanted to move to LA and live on the beach. In some ways it was great that my favorite team was now in my favorite city, but it was hard to get a game on the radio.
Now any of you old enough to remember transistor radios will also remember that if you tuned into them late at night sometimes you would pick up AM radio stations from exotic places, such as Mexico. But I found out I could normally tune into an LA station that was playing a Laker game and because of the time difference it worked out well. So, through my youth I continued to grow in my love for this team. But there was a problem, they never won a championship. In fact, they hadn’t since the year I was born. Still I was loyal and stuck with them.
Then in 1968 the unbelievable happened, the Lakers acquired Wilt Chamberlin. For you who do not know the game, Wilt is the only player in NBA history to ever score 100 points in a game. He was my idol and now he was coming to LA. And even with Wilt it took a few years but finally in the 1971/1972 season all things came together.
The team seemed unlikely, even though they had Wilt and Jerry West, one of the best guards in the game. The rest of the cast were not even that well known. In fact, they had a forward by the name of Happy Hairston who came out of nowhere, it seems, to join this group who still hold the record for the longest winning streak in the NBA, 33 games and the best record over all 69-13. And in the spring of 1972, they finally won it all and became the Champions of the world.
So why do I bore you with this bit of basketball trivia? The point is simple, all of us become so infatuated by things of this world that our relationships with others suffer, but even more our relationship with Jesus suffers most.
Here is what this means for me. After all these years I still remember every member from that basketball team. I remember a lot of the stats. I recall the championship series against the New York Knicks. How upset I was when the Lakers lost the first game in that series. But if you ask me today what Bible verses I read just hours ago, I would have this vague memory and maybe be able to summarize some of it.
Sure, I could blame this on old age, everyone knows the short-term memory is the first thing to go but I know that is not what is going on. No, my problem is deeper, and it goes directly to God’s very first commandment, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:2-3) Some of you who don’t know the Bible to well might say, “What does the land of Egypt and being in bondage have to do with me?” But I know for myself I was in bondage and living as a foreigner in my own life when I was controlled by booze and drugs. And I also know it was God, through Jesus Christ who brought me out. But I still find myself worshipping idols past and present.
When I read the book of Romans I know that even the Apostle Paul suffered in this struggle, “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.” (Romans 7: 14-18) I know some find these passages confusing but to me it is just what I feel is my biggest problem. I want to live in a way where I live in God’s law but my worldly self and the baggage I carry still have a hold on me.
Paul goes on to say this a few verses later, “For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will save me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! So, then I serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. (Romans 7: 22-25) The answer is here and if I am not willing to do it the flesh wins every time. If I cannot surrender to Jesus completely. I will always be serving the flesh and worship the idols of this world. Paul goes on to give even more words to live by in Chapter 8 of Romans, read it and you may come face to face with what is holding you from a surrendered relationship with Jesus.
Today as I finish this, I know I am not done with my obsession with the world or even the sway that basketball holds over me. I was swept up in elation as LeBron James signed with the Lakers this summer. I just pray that this wretched man can turn away from the things of this world and turn his eyes upon Jesus. He is the real champion and the one who has conquered what none of us can, sin and death. Now that is a real win for us all!
Blessings John,
8/1/18
