It’s a happy day in the sooner state – at least for most folks – as our beloved Oklahoma Sooners won a big and quite unexpected victory over the Alabama Crimson tide last night. It was a great occasion in a state where football is generally significantly more important than it ought to be.
Many of us – hopefully even most – are now gearing up for what we hope will be an equally impressive though not at all as surprising win by our Oklahoma State Cowboys over the Missouri Tigers.
No, this post is not really about football. I promise. Football simply brings our tendencies to the surface.
You see, I see a troubling practice among football fans. It’s even more troubling how much I see it among Christians and among non-Christians. What is it?
Well, consider Groucho Marx’s little tune that illustrates this problem quite comically.
That’s funny. But it’s not.
I see a lot of folks cheering against a team or against a political party or against a lifestyle. What’s wrong with just focusing upon what we’re “for?”
I know I’ve been very seriously guilty of this so many times in so many ways.
I am for the Sooners AND the Cowboys – and when they play each other I go with my first loyalty, having grown up a Sooner fan.
I am for biblical truth. I’m not against anyone who disagrees with my understanding of what that is.
I am for families. I’m not against anyone who has a different definition than I do.
I am for Jesus. And I don’t see solid evidence that He was ever against anyone. He even died for those who put Him to death.
I’m told that folks in the banking industry don’t spend their time studying counterfeiting techniques. They simply strive to become intimately familiar with the genuine article.
Maybe that’s really what Jesus was calling us to do – be the real thing.
“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” – Jesus, John 13:35
So, are you FOR or AGAINST?
