"Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play…it is war minus the shooting."
A living sacrifice!
In Romans 12:1, Paul uses a very odd expression
Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of worship.A living sacrifice! That's an oxymoron. Sacrifices are not alive. You chop their heads off, or stick a stake in them. Paul on purpose uses a seemingly ridiculous phrase.
Now if you are a sportsperson the idea of offering your body as a living sacrifice, has extra meaning. Having a body is essential if you are going to play. But we are asked to offer that body as a living sacrifice, a sacrifice that wriggles on the altar! This doesn't mean that we are not to play but rather that we must play as people who have given our bodies to Jesus Christ.
It's going to be hard. You've got to be really battling at this all the time. Sin will never give up on us. We think we nailed it! We think "Oh good, I haven't given in to that temptation for a month - class!" And before you know it you've done it again. Where did that come from?
When you're playing really well and you know everyone will say how great you are, how hard is it not to get arrogant and just take your foot off the peddle for the last five minutes because no one will notice? God will, and he wants you to give all to him all the time, including the last five minutes.
Anybody who has an easy time applying their spiritual growth in their sports career and doesn't find it is a struggle is doing something wrong. If you are not in a battle in the Christian life there is something the matter. It probably means that you are not active for Jesus Christ.
The moment you step out on the front line for Christ there is conflict. And so Paul says if you are going to belong to Jesus, if your identity is restored, go on - offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, because this is holy and pleasing to God.
Paul calls it your spiritual act of worship. Now let us clear from our minds any idea that worship is restricted to singing songs or that worship is an hour every Sunday. We have seen in this book that we are called to give our bodies to God to please him, as an act of worship, a 24/7 lifestyle activity!
To offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of worship. That's when you worship God - when you give every piece of your mind, body, time, everything to God, that's worship.