"Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play…it is war minus the shooting."
The solitary place
"The fight is won or lost far away from the witnesses,behind the lines, in the gym and out on the road, long before I dance under those lights". Muhammed Ali.
The public sees the star player execute the perfect shot and thinks, "I wish I could do that". Rarely do they realize that for all the player's talent, it is hours of practice, which have honed the talent to produce that shot. As Gary Player used to say, "the more I practise, the luckier I get".
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went to a solitary place, where he prayed. Mark 1:35
Holiness is not learned "under the lights,but in the gym, in the solitary place while it is still dark". Most of us find it easier to live a godly life when we are with other Christians, singing an inspiring worship song. If we are to lead a godly life when we are in our club, with our sports friends, in the heat of the game when the opponents, the officials and even our own coach seem to be against us, it has to start with prayer in the solitary place.
Stuart