"God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast and when I run, I feel his pleasure."
The law
All the law does is to point out our sin. (Romans 3:20)
The final cricket test match between England and Pakistan in 2006 ended in chaos with the umpires accusing Pakistan of altering the condition of the ball. [If you are from a non-cricket playing country, this means trying to gain an advantage by making the ball more suited to bowling than batting.]
In the midst of all the accusation and counter accusation, one former international bowler, Gus Fraser, said on radio commentary that he did not know of one bowler who had never attempted to alter the condition of the ball. Others were arguing that bowlers should be allowed to do it. All the law does is to point out our sin.
Without laws - in sport or in life - there would be no order, no meaning. If we value sport, we will respect its laws. And if sport is part of God's creation, then we have every reason to value it. Let us be thankful for sport and play with integrity, respecting the game, its ethos and its laws - even the officials.
In life the law may depress us - if all it does is remind us of our sin! As we work through Romans we will see that God's grace (kindness) and love gives us real hope. But more of that another time.
September 2007
Stuart Weir