Today we continue with point number five in answer to my questions: Why and how should a Christian pursue athletic greatness? Or, as a Christian, how can I justify my drive to become the best athlete I can be? (If you haven’t been following along, you can follow my outline here.)

5) A Christian should joyfully pursue athletic greatness in light of the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Yesterday I pointed out how the gospel frees us from pursuing excellence in order to prove ourselves. Today I make one other assertion regarding point five.

b) The gospel frees us from the need to exalt ourselves.

Yesterday I spelled out the whole biblical story in abbreviated form in order to highlight how our sin has led us to define ourselves by what we do or what we can obtain or who we can become. I said that from a biblical perspective, we seek to prove ourselves or define ourselves by our works because we have cut ourselves off from the One who was meant to give us true life, meaning, security, and identity.

The foundation for this point is really the same. However, rather than emphasizing the desire to prove ourselves or define ourselves by our works, this point emphasizes the inner desire to receive credit or glory for those works. Again, this pursuit of glory or self-exaltation does not look the same for us all, but from a biblical perspective, it is always there. We want to be recognized, given credit, have someone take notice of what we do or what we have obtained or who we have become. And usually, we want it way too much.

And can there be any doubt that this desire for self-exaltation is written all over the pursuit of athletic excellence in our day? If you don’t believe so, you must not have a TV. For no matter the contest, you are bound to see plenty an athlete in pursuit of personal glory. It is all too obvious that humility does not dominate our sports today.

And yet, from a biblical perspective, this pursuit of glory is not all bad. It is simply misdirected. For according to the biblical story, we were created to pursue glory. Just not our own. Instead, we were created by God to pursue His glory in our every word, thought, and endeavor. Indeed, we can even say that it is our glory to do so. Even in sports.

But again, our sin cut us off from this design. By rebelling against our Creator, we cut ourselves off from the pursuit of His glory and instead, embarked in pursuit of our own. But here comes the good news yet again. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we are made right with God and set free from the burdening pursuit of self-glory. Our hearts are made new and centered upon the only pursuit of glory that matters, the pursuit of the glory of God. Indeed, because of Jesus Christ, we can find our true glory by seeking His.

How this changes our pursuit of athletic excellence should be obvious yet again. For rather than seeking athletic greatness with a view towards exalting our own greatness, we can seek greatness with a view towards exalting God’s greatness. And though it may not seem so motivating at first glance, if the biblical story is accurate, there is actually no greater motivating force in all the world. For if the glory of God is at the center of God’s design, the pursuit of His glory must be the most freeing and empowering in all the world. It must be what is best for us. No doubt, it is much better than the weight of seeking our own.

Actually, in the end, if you really want your own highest glory, the only way to find it is by seeking His. As Jesus said, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). Humility, rather than a hindrance to athletic excellence, is actually essential to such a pursuit. For only the humble heart can be in radical pursuit of the glory of God (with a right mind at least). Indeed, only with a humble heart can we become as excellent as God wants us to be. Even in sports.

Does that sound like good news? I hope so. For it is certainly good news to me.