Isaiah 5:20-21 “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!”
Colossians 2:8 “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”
I Corinthians 2:14 “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: nether can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”
With us deep into the NCAA college football playoff, the next two posts are going to feed off that energy to share some recent football metaphors and illustrations. Enjoy!
Most of you probably don’t know the name Trent Eaton. Yet, there is a very good chance that you’ve seen a video of him that went viral three months ago at an Oklahoma State football game against Houston. In the midst of another dismal loss, Trent’s sister offered him $10 to go over to an empty section of the stadium, take off his shirt, and wave it over his head. Needing the money and appreciating the challenge, he did!
A few minutes later, a few others randomly joined him. Several minutes later, the entire section with filled with hundreds of boys and men doing the exact same thing. Though they lost that game 39 – 17, and didn’t win another football game for the rest of the season, it was a viral moment. In the end, they may have broken a record for the most shirtless guys in one section of a football stadium and they launched a cultural phenomenon.
A large number of people followed Trent, even though there was no real reason to do so. He wasn’t attractive nor loud; he wasn’t gregarious nor charismatic. It just became the thing to do, and people mindlessly followed him.
In this case, it was a harmless way to turn a looming football loss into a bit of fun and frivolity. But, it’s a stark reminder that we must be careful in following the cultural trends that are all around us, especially in a society that has flip-flopped good and evil, light and darkness, bitter and sweet.
PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO BE EAGER TO FOLLOW CHRIST AND CAUTIOUS AND DISCERNING BEFORE FOLLOWING ANYTHING FROM THE WORLD AROUND US. There are plenty who are wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight. Yet, we must carefully examine them to decide if they are right, and good, and godly before we join them in any previously empty section of a stadium.
