Friday, October 5, 2007 at 2:02am
My dilemma
Column: For His Glory
I wake every day wondering what the day will bring, praying that today there will be an opportunity to share with others my relationship with Jesus Christ. Yet that is precisely my dilemma. How do you share Jesus with others when other people do not seem to be listening?
I was in the lobby of the men's dormitory yesterday watching the Yankees game against the Cleveland Indians. A group of young men gathered to watch some playoff baseball and fellowship with other students as they prepared to rest over fall break. The banter between the fans of the two teams was joyful and continues. Yet at one point the conversation turned to the apparent happiness of star athletes with all their endorsements and fame. Why, someone asked, would Kobe Bryant, who has a multimillion-dollar contract, fame, a daughter and a beautiful wife, cheat on her? The question piqued my interest, and I listened as various explanations circulated around the lobby.
Some answers I do not recall, as they were drowned out by the Cleveland fans whose team was scoring runs at will. Yet there was one answer that caught my attention. The individual actually said, "I would have done the same thing, if the girl was as hot as Alicia Keys." Apparently in this individual's mind there is no problem in cheating as long as you believe the woman in front of you is attractive. I thought to myself, What sort of inward moral values allow someone to come to this conclusion? Then there was another individual who said that he could not work in cities like Miami or Atlanta because he wouldn't be able to control himself because of all the good-looking women. Almost joyfully he said, "The Lord knows best not to put me in those cities, because I would fall" — implying that because the women in those cities are sexy, he would almost helplessly fall. Sadly I thought, It doesn't need to be Miami or Atlanta; there are beautiful women everywhere, and we must beware that if women are our weakness, we must guard daily our interactions with the opposite sex regardless of where we are. After a couple of other suggestions of why someone who apparently has it all would cheat on their spouse, I chimed in with a suggestion.
I asked if they ever stopped to consider that life without a personal relationship with Jesus was empty and that nothing in this world can bring you happiness unless you are grounded in Christ. Kobe's life proves it. That he would risk jail time, a divorce, endorsement deals, his ability to play a sport for a living tells me that deep inside there is no genuine satisfaction with life. Had they stopped to consider the importance of Jesus?
The room got quiet, and all eyes turned to the individuals to whom I asked the question. Suddenly the game was forgotten and a response was awaited. The individuals to whom the question was posed heard the question, contemplated it and chose to dismiss the question as irrelevant to the conversation. Sadly, that is the world today, and many will dismiss the one individual who makes life truly relevant and truly satisfying — Jesus Christ.
So where do you find yourself today? Are you dismissing the one person who will make your life relevant and joyful? He already has done for you what no other person can offer you: He died on the cross so that you may have eternal life.
"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'
(John 14:6)
— — —
Gio Marin is an author, currently working on a master of divinity degree at Andrews Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, with a dual emphasis on systematic theology and church growth & evangelism. Visit For His Glory, the blog, and send an email to {email GioMarinColumn@aol.com}GioMarinColumn@aol.com{/email}. © Copyright 2007 by Gio Marin.
I was in the lobby of the men's dormitory yesterday watching the Yankees game against the Cleveland Indians. A group of young men gathered to watch some playoff baseball and fellowship with other students as they prepared to rest over fall break. The banter between the fans of the two teams was joyful and continues. Yet at one point the conversation turned to the apparent happiness of star athletes with all their endorsements and fame. Why, someone asked, would Kobe Bryant, who has a multimillion-dollar contract, fame, a daughter and a beautiful wife, cheat on her? The question piqued my interest, and I listened as various explanations circulated around the lobby.
Some answers I do not recall, as they were drowned out by the Cleveland fans whose team was scoring runs at will. Yet there was one answer that caught my attention. The individual actually said, "I would have done the same thing, if the girl was as hot as Alicia Keys." Apparently in this individual's mind there is no problem in cheating as long as you believe the woman in front of you is attractive. I thought to myself, What sort of inward moral values allow someone to come to this conclusion? Then there was another individual who said that he could not work in cities like Miami or Atlanta because he wouldn't be able to control himself because of all the good-looking women. Almost joyfully he said, "The Lord knows best not to put me in those cities, because I would fall" — implying that because the women in those cities are sexy, he would almost helplessly fall. Sadly I thought, It doesn't need to be Miami or Atlanta; there are beautiful women everywhere, and we must beware that if women are our weakness, we must guard daily our interactions with the opposite sex regardless of where we are. After a couple of other suggestions of why someone who apparently has it all would cheat on their spouse, I chimed in with a suggestion.
I asked if they ever stopped to consider that life without a personal relationship with Jesus was empty and that nothing in this world can bring you happiness unless you are grounded in Christ. Kobe's life proves it. That he would risk jail time, a divorce, endorsement deals, his ability to play a sport for a living tells me that deep inside there is no genuine satisfaction with life. Had they stopped to consider the importance of Jesus?
The room got quiet, and all eyes turned to the individuals to whom I asked the question. Suddenly the game was forgotten and a response was awaited. The individuals to whom the question was posed heard the question, contemplated it and chose to dismiss the question as irrelevant to the conversation. Sadly, that is the world today, and many will dismiss the one individual who makes life truly relevant and truly satisfying — Jesus Christ.
So where do you find yourself today? Are you dismissing the one person who will make your life relevant and joyful? He already has done for you what no other person can offer you: He died on the cross so that you may have eternal life.
"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'
(John 14:6)
— — —
Gio Marin is an author, currently working on a master of divinity degree at Andrews Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, with a dual emphasis on systematic theology and church growth & evangelism. Visit For His Glory, the blog, and send an email to {email GioMarinColumn@aol.com}GioMarinColumn@aol.com{/email}. © Copyright 2007 by Gio Marin.