'Tebowing' not just the latest craze

The Denver Broncos starting quarterback, and Heisman Trophy winner, Tim Tebow, may not have succeeded in another win against the New England Patriots on Saturday, but fans are still praying – and thousands more as well.

It is nothing new to see a quarterback drop to one knee after a snap – but it is an entirely different thing to see him kneel and pray. “Tebowing” is a word used to describe this “taking a knee” in prayer has officially entered the English language and has been added to the American lexicon.

But not everything you hear in the news is good, and Tim Tebow has been taking a lot of hits off the field for his public displays of worship.

You can hear comments made such as, “Jesus must be a Broncos fan,” or, “When Tim Tebow touches water it turns to Gatorade.” But perhaps a more offensive insult came from Stephen Tullock, Detroit Lions linebacker, who mocked Tebow after a sack by imitating the famed gesture.

Tulloch told the Denver Post, “I told a friend of mine that I might have a couple of sacks this game and if I get him, I am going to Tebow it.”

And while this kind of criticism is to be expected from the watching world, Tebow’s response to criticism is what is really on display – and he is standing remarkably in light of the opposition.

The Apostle Paul told the Church at Philippi, “Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ…not frightened in anything by your opponents” (Philippians 1:27-28). 

Clearly Tebow has taken that to heart, telling one souce, “He was just celebrating, having fun with his teammates and I don’t take offense to that.”

And it provided the perfect opportunity for him to show the watching world that he was above this small-minded mentality and that his personal faith does not make him a better person than anyone else.

Unfortunately the watching world sees far too many Christians who portray themselves to be better than everyone else. And while according to the Bible this puts them in a better position eternally, there is no room for bigotry in Christianity.

God tells us in the Bible, “but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’" (1 Peter 1:15-16). But this does not mean that Christians are entitled to act “holier than thou.” Rather, “let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” (Colossians 4:6). 

Praying may not have made Tim Tebow the best quarterback in the NFL or the Denver Broncos the best football team, but that has not stopped God from receiving all the glory. 

As a matter of fact, quite the opposite is true. When Tebow passed for 316 yards over Pittsburgh in the playoffs, the following day millions of people looked up John 3:16 on the internet causing it to be the number one search on Google.

Sources reveal that as a result hundreds or more have given their lives to Christ because of this phenomenon. 

The famous passage? “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

Have you given your life to Christ? If not the Bible says you are condemned already, but by trusting in Him you will be saved (John 3:17-18).

Two Simple Steps To A Healthier Spiritual Life In The New Year

Happy New Year! It’s that time once again to make (and possibly break) those New Year Resolutions. Have you made any resolutions for the New Year? Perhaps you want to shed a few pounds, quit smoking, save more money, or buy a house! Whatever it is, I hope that you will stick with it and find yourself on the winning side this year.

Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance” (John 10:10), but I wonder how many of us could honestly say we are living an abundantly wonderful spiritual life? Would you say that your relationship with God is so close that your spiritual life could not get any richer, or perhaps would you say that your walk with Christ is minimal at best, and altogether lacking at worst? 

If I told you that I know two ways that you can enrich your Christian life in the New Year, would you be interested? If so, then stay with me because you won’t believe how very simple it is to begin having a more fulfilling, more abundant, more wonderful spiritual life in the New Year. 

First, by regularly attending a New Testament church where the Word is preached faithfully and consistently, you can begin having a healthier Christian life. When the Israelites returned from their captivity in Babylon, the priests and scribes thought it best that every man, woman and child would hear from the Book of the Law (Nehemiah 8:1-4). Why was it so important that all of them listened? I believe there are three reasons that believers should develop the regular practice of hearing the Word preached regularly.

To begin, God has chosen to give some believers the gifts of teaching and preaching that all believers can understand His Word. This means that hearing God’s Word regularly helps us understand what God is saying to us (Nehemiah 8:8; Ephesians 4:11-12). Also, hearing God's Word regularly is a form of worship (Nehemiah 8:5-6; Acts 2:42, 47). While one may not need to attend church to worship God, worshiping God cannot be done with the scriptural authority we have in the Bible – God’s Word to us. Last, hearing God's Word regularly gives us faith. The Bible tells us in Romans 10:17 that faith comes through hearing, and in Romans 1:16 that God’s Word “is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes.” It also gives us the faith we need to get by daily. J. G. Machen said, “The more we know of God, the more unreservedly we will trust him; the greater our progress in theology, the simpler and more childlike will be our faith.”

Another way to begin having a healthier Christian life is by reading God’s Word regularly. In Acts we read about the Bereans that received the message Paul was delivering with eagerness, but they also examined the scriptures for themselves to see if what was being said was true (Acts 17:11). Polls indicate that a majority of Christians do not read their Bibles daily, if any at all. The reason they give is for a lack of time; however, most Americans spend 20-30 hours per week watching television. The problem is not a lack of time but a lack of priority. Jesus said, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Just as the health of our bodies is maintained by daily nourishment, so our spiritual life is maintained by spiritual food. Can you imagine what would become of us if we ate only once per week, month, or never at all? Likewise we are doing the same to our spiritual bodies by neglecting to take in God’s Word daily. I will give you four suggestions for success in daily Bible reading.

Make the time. Select a time each day you will read your Bible. I choose to do my reading in the morning, as one of the first things I do to start my day. The Bible tells that we should put on the full armor of God before going to battle, that we may be ready to face the enemy! (Ephesians 6:11, 13-14). It does not make any sense to put our armor on after the battle is over, no more than you would look at the road map to your destination only after arriving.

Make it a habit. A habit is an acquired pattern of behavior that often occurs automatically. Kind of like fixing my coffee in the morning – I can do it while sleeping (and my wife thinks I often do). What I am not in the habit of doing, laziness will overcome. By starting a habit of reading your Bible daily, you will begin to do it automatically, without having to take the time out of your busy day to sit down and enjoy some alone time with God.

Make a plan. I would never encourage a believer to read his Bible from the beginning to end (Genesis through Revelation) because the Bible was not written historically from start to finish. For this reason, it might be better to seek out a Bible study plan that takes you through the Bible at your own pace: one year, two years, etc. I find that reading two chapters in the Old Testament, two in the New Testament, and one in Psalms or Proverbs can just about get me through the Old Testament once, the New Testament twice, and Psalms & Proverbs twice, all in a year’s time. And even if you don’t read it in a year or follow along in some specific order, remember that the bible says “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). 

Make a commitment. This is perhaps the most difficult and most important suggestion to follow. Without a commitment you will be unlikely to stay with your Bible reading plan. God instructed Joshua to keep the Book of the Law always on his lips, day and night, so that he will prosper and find success (Joshua 1:8). If you want have a richer spiritual life and a closer walk with Christ, make a commitment to read your Bible daily. If you need, select an accountability partner that will help you stay on track, and perhaps you can be of some assistance to him as well. 

If in the past you have not made it a habit of regularly attending church to hear the Word of God preached and reading your Bible, what stops you from doing so beginning today? By taking these two small steps of obedience I can assure you that in the coming year you will have a more fruitful, more spiritually fulfilling life than you expected. For the Bible says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8).

May you be blessed in 2012!

Reflections of 1 John 3:11-24

In the moments that you least expect it God shows up in BIG ways. I never cease to be amazed at the love of God displayed in the family of Christ. "For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another" (1 John 3:11).

Love is what dwells at the bottom of good deeds, for it is the prime motivation for one to do something righteous for another. Selfishness considers only one person, but selflessness considers others. This has been demonstrated for us by Christ on the cross, who even gave his life for his enemies. "By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers" (1 John 3:16).

Those who love in word and speech (1 John 3:18) glorify themselves by praising others, but those whose hearts are pure glorify the Father because their intentions are pure. Deeds follow words. It is enough to love others as Christ loved us, for this is how we can know that we are of the truth (1 John 3:18-19). The command we have been given is to believe in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and to love one another (1 John 3:23).

I have known the love of Christ through other believers and have seen God's love displayed through the deeds that have been motivated by love. The question is how do we display our love for others - by word/talk or deed/truth? If you claim to be a believer and follower of Christ, this will be demonstrated by love. "Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us" (1 John 3:24).

Spontaneous Combustion

"This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger: for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God" (James 1:19-20).

I remember once when I had been given a traffic citation for exceeding the speed limit. Although I was just traveling along with the steady flow of traffic, I was still guilty of breaking the law. I pulled my car over when the flashing blue lights approached and immediately began to think of my defense. The conversation went something like this:

          Police officer: "Is there a reason why you were doing 73 in a 55 mph zone?"
          Me: "I wasn't. I saw my speedometer when you passed and I was only doing about 65."
          P.O.: "That's not what my radar indicated."
          Me: "Is there a chance you were wrong?"
          P.O.: (In short) "No."

The officer returned to his patrol car and I waited for the results of our conversation. When he returned to my car after our initial dialogue, the citation marked that I was traveling 74 mph when he observed, scanned, and cited me exceeding the speed limit. Although I'm quite sure that information was incorrect, my attitude was not helpful in my defense. If I had been quick to hear and slow to speak, perhaps the outcome would have been different; however, in anger I quickly responded and was the one to pay for it in the end.


Spontaneity is not always a bad thing, but there have been many times when it gets people into trouble. Sometimes not thinking something through can result in poor communication - which may result in appearing careless, insensitive, and downright mean! When this happens we can quickly become the ones who are the fool. The Bible says, "Do you see a man who is hasty in words? There is more hope for a fool than for him" (Proverbs 29:20), and, "A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul" (Proverbs 18:7).

There are greater consequences to speaking hastily than simply looking like a fool, for sometimes the cost is great. This is why the Bible says, "Even when a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is considered prudent" (Proverbs 17:28).

The righteousness of God is a gentle spirit and self-control. You might say that wisdom is knowing when to shut-up instead of speak-up.

To God be the glory

In a moment of victory, Greg Jennings, wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers told a national audience that the glory belongs to God alone after his team won back the Lombardi Trophy at the 45th annual Super Bowl.

Jennings, catching four passes for 64 yards, scored two touchdowns in the biggest football game of his life. 

His bold proclamation was anticipated by most viewers who watched him kneel in silence and bow his head each time he ran the ball across the end zone. There was great speculation that he was praising his God for the moment, and thanking Him for the skill and ability to make those plays.

“To God be the glory,” stated Jennings when the sideline reporter questioned where he could begin talking about the journey that he and the Packers had been on. “To God be the glory,” he ended it.

As millions watched a celebrating team enjoy that one moment in history that most will never experience, it is not the winners that receive the glory, but to God alone. Allow me to explain.

The Bible says that we have been created for God’s glory (Isaiah 43:7) and that we should give Him the glory that is due His name (1 Chronicles 16:29). One writer has said that “glorifying God means to acknowledge His greatness and give Him honor by praising and worshiping Him, primarily because He, and He alone, deserves to be praised, honored and worshipped.”

In a world that promotes self by placing sports figures, movie stars and other public figures on a pedestal, one need not wonder why honoring God has become a stench in today’s society. Rather than giving the praise to the Creator, mankind has worshiped the creation making an idol over which we have exerted our praise. But God is not pleased with exchanging His glory for the glory of man, for He has created the heavens and the earth, and is the source of life for all who dwell on earth (Isaiah 42:5). 

The Bible says that when a man dies his glory will not go down after him (Psalm 49:17). Jesus warned of the dangers of storing up treasure where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in (Matthew 6:19-20). Earthly glory fades but God’s glory endures forever; for He is the source from where glory comes, and where it returns. 

Because God has created us and given us every good thing that we have, we should strive to give Him glory in everything we do (1 Corinthians 10:31). This means giving credit where credit is due. He is our life, strength, comfort, peace, and protector – and He deserves our most because we are the least.

Why should we glorify God? It is because of His Son, Jesus Christ, of whom the apostle Paul said, “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord” (2 Corinthians 4:5). Ultimately, God is glorified through Christ’s death on the cross and we can glorify Him by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible says that although we all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory He deserves (Romans 3:23), through Jesus Christ we can have the gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23), where God’s glory endures forever for us to behold.

Write me at michael@michaelwaits.com if you would like to know more about glorifying God through Jesus Christ. I always enjoy hearing from my readers. www.twitter.com/michaelwaits