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Lesser Sports

Writer's picture: Bryce JohnsonBryce Johnson

As sports fans, we’re used to spending time on the weekends watching games. This time of year we're normally experiencing game after game of college basketball.

Over the weekend, instead of watching the Elite 8, we had to settle for watching reruns of games and rewatching some of the classics.

Although I saw some great action and it was fun seeing some old players again, it pales in comparison to watching March Madness in real-time.

Beyond the re-airs of games, I also found that sports networks were substituting their programming with “lesser sports,” such as ax throwing, ultimate frisbee, and cornhole.

I’m sure the “athletes” competing in these events have worked hard and are amazing at throwing an ax, but I’m not exactly jumping out of my seat in excitement when they hit the bullseye.

It’s fun to watch for a moment, but because it's just temporary satisfaction, I was quickly looking for something else.

Last weekend, ESPN had a full day of “ESPN The Ocho” which consisted of even more crazy “sports” like slippery stairs, cherry pit spitting, marble racing, and the classic PE sport, dodgeball!

No seriously, I watched men spit the pit from cherries to see how far it would fly in the air. It piqued my curiosity, but needless to say, it didn’t satisfy my sports appetite!

I also got sucked into an intense marble race for a little while but realized this wasn’t the answer to my sports longings either.

Of course, there are virtual sports options right now - iRacing with Dale Earnhardt Jr. who participates in the televised video game, along with Madden football as another Esports option. Instead of watching real sports, people are tuning in for computer-generated action.

I understand not everyone views these “sports” as lesser and some people prefer these options to March Madness, but for the sake of today’s spiritual parallel, I’m considering all of these as unfulfilling substitutes to what is normally the best sports month of the year.

When it comes to our pursuits in life and where we place our hope and faith, we are either seeking and trusting the one true God or we’re settling for substitutes.

In the Bible, people turned their backs on God to worship lesser gods or man-made idols. This continues today as many people worship creation instead of the Creator.

But as we know, none of the lesser gods truly satisfy or fulfill us because they pale in comparison to the real God.

Anything we love more than God is an idol. We get enticed by idols such as money, comfort, power, position, success, or entertainment, but then when life gets hard, and they are taken away from us, what are we left with?

These second-rate substitutes may satisfy temporarily, but they will ultimately let us down and won’t quench our deepest longings.

1 Corinthians 10:14 warns us (AMP), "Therefore, my beloved, run from idolatry .”

The problem with these idols is that they don’t last, they don’t deliver on their promises, and they distract us from what is real and what endures for eternity.

God is the One who is faithful with unending love, grace, and mercy and the One our hearts and souls truly desire. God created us so we would know Him and enjoy Him, and He made this possible through Jesus.

1 John 5:20 (AMP) says, "And we know that the Son of God has come , and has given us understanding and insight so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true—in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.”

We might be stuck with “lesser sports” right now, but thankfully we don’t have to settle for lesser gods because the one true God loves us and provides us everything we need to be fulfilled and satisfied in Him.

Today and every day, let’s seek...pursue...and praise Him above all else!

I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, forgive me for being distracted by worldly things and for loving other things more than You. Thank You for making a way for me to know You and experience Your everlasting love. My hope and faith are in You and I know You are the only One that truly satisfies. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.Discussion Questions for PACKS:


What do you find yourself chasing or loving more than God?


What idols from your past did you realize were ultimately unfulfilling?

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