John 3:16 is one of the central scripture passages for us Evangelical Christians, and it reads:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
As you may or may not know, University of Florida Heisman winner and now NFL Denver Bronco quarterback Tim Tebow routinely wrote the numbers “John“, under one eye, and “3:16“, under the other eye in black during his collegiate football career, (the NFL bans the practice of displaying such personal messages or he would no doubt be continuing the practice through today).
I thought it was pretty amazing Sunday that Tebow threw for a season high 316 yards and averaged 31.6 yards per pass as he capped off his performance by tossing the game winning touchdown on the first play of overtime in the playoffs on Sunday.
Oh and then there is this: the Steelers-Broncos game was the most-watched wild-card game since 1988. In the final quarter-hour, the overnight rating was 31.6. And you might be interested to know that as it turns out, the lone interception thrown in the game on Sunday night came from Ben Roethlisberger. What down and distance were involved when he threw it? Third and 16.
What else could it have been?
And if that isn’t enough intrigue, his final pass was to Thomas who just happens to have been born on Christmas Day!!! Ok, this is getting weird, uncanny, strange, eerie, and just plain bizarre and the hair on your neck should be standing on end like it is on mine.
But if it isn’t, then perhaps you should consider this:
More than 24 years ago, a lady named Pam and her husband Bob were serving as missionaries to the Philippines and praying for a fifth child. Pam contracted amoebic dysentery, an infection of the intestine caused by a parasite found in contaminated food or drink. She went into a coma and was treated with strong antibiotics before they discovered she was pregnant.
Doctors urged her to abort the baby for her own safety and told her that
the medicines had caused irreversible damage to her baby. She refused the
abortion and cited her Christian faith as the reason for her hope that her
son would be born without the devastating disabilities physicians
predicted. Pam said the doctors didn’t think of it as a life, they thought
of it as a mass of fetal tissue.
While pregnant, Pam nearly lost their baby four times but refused to
consider abortion. She recalled making a pledge to God with her husband:
If you will give us a son, we’ll name him Timothy and we’ll make him a
preacher.
Pam ultimately spent the last two months of her pregnancy in bed and
eventually gave birth to a healthy baby boy August 14, 1987. Pam’s
youngest son is indeed a preacher. He preaches in prisons, makes hospital
visits, and serves with his father’s ministry in the Philippines. He also
plays football and is a faithful witness to millions every Sunday.
Pam’s son is Tim Tebow.
Sometimes we don’t realize the Lord is with us and preparing us for His work even when facing epic trials and tribulations of biblical proportions in our lives. God has had His hand on Tim Tebow’s life since his conception and the perilous time spent in his mother’s womb. The refreshing thing about Tim Tebow is that he recognizes that strong hand that is guiding him as belonging to His Lord and Savior as evidenced by his opening remarks to the media after the game: “First and foremost, I just want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He’s done so much in my life.”
Do you recognize God’s strong hand guiding your life? I have and I hope that you will too, and then do as Tim Tebow does, be thankful and publically acknowledge your faith regardless of your detractors.
Last night I received more hate mail concerning WFTD. I thought about all of the incoming flack and hate mail that Tim Tebow must receive, primarily from the media and the left, (no doubt due to his strong public anti-abortion/pro evangelical Christian stance). He just smiles that radiant smile and gives God all the more praise and that is heartening to me.
This youngster reminds me by his consistent actions on the field and off that it is not this world that we serve, rather a great and mighty God. Tebow is successful by many of the standards of the world, but he isn’t all puffed up about the world’s adulation or by himself. He is humble and gives God the credit for everything. He doesn’t whine about his detractors, he publically prays for them.
So I ask you dear friends to just keep that hate mail coming because it is great encouragement to me. Satan wants to discourage and stop all of us from publically acknowledging that Christ changed our lives and saved us from the innermost pits of hell and that He stands ready to do the same for anyone who will humble themselves before Him.
I must be doing something right or satan wouldn’t be attacking me for publically witnessing what God has done in my life. So instead of being discouraged by personal insults, I’m taking a page out of Tebow’s book and I’m going Tebowing, (the act of dropping to one knee in prayer or adoration – something that Tebow does each time he scores). You see my eye is not on me or the world, but on Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior and that is where I want it to remain, for without Him I am nothing!
Surf’s up – Let’s go Tebowing – Join me today won’t you?
John 3:30
He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.