Faith & Basketball

Living Word Christian Churches of Cebu International Incorporated

CEBU, Philippines - Seemingly out of nowhere, New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin has been making headlines through the sports world. If you have been watching the NBA season, you know that Jeremy Lin has now become a household name. New York City is calling it “Linsanity” and his story has inspired millions worldwide.

But not only is he a great basketball player with an inspiring story, Lin is also an evangelical Christian who is very vocal about his faith in Jesus Christ.

In a post-game interview Lin tells the press that what has happened to him is nothing but a miracle from God. And He openly expressed his thanks to God who is the ultimate reason why he is having success on the court.

In an online testimony recorded last June, Lin quoted from a section of John Piper's book Don't Waste Your Life:

“God created us to live with a single passion to joyfully display his supreme excellence in all the spheres of life.”

 Lin then added the following commentary about his coming to treasure Jesus more than basketball success:

“When Paul wrote in Philippians to press on for an upward prize, he was living for that, and it made his life meaningful (Philippians 3:15). And I realized I had to learn to do the same. I had to learn to stop chasing the perishable prizes of this earth, I had to stop chasing personal glory. I had to learn how to give my best effort to God and trust him with the results. I had to learn to have enough faith to trust in his grace and to trust in his sovereign and perfect plan. I had to submit my will, my desires, my dreams — give it all up to God and say: Look, I am going to give my best effort, go on the court and play every day for you, and I'm going to let you take care of the rest. This is something I struggle with every day. . . Playing for great stats is nice, but that satisfaction — that happiness — is only from game to game. It's temporary. I think one of the most rewarding experiences in life is to see people come to Christ and make lifestyle changes. When that happens, you definitely see God behind it. . . . I'm really thankful that God is changing somebody, or sometimes he's changing me. To see that transformation brings me a lot of satisfaction and fulfilment. I definitely want to do something in ministry down the road, maybe as a pastor if that's where God leads.”

Though Lin has experienced success on the basketball court, he knows that ultimate joy and satisfaction can only be found in Jesus Christ. A lot of people today invest so much time, money and energy on things they think could give them fulfilment. Sadly, none of these things can satisfy the deep longings of man. And because of sin, people have preferred to find meaning and satisfaction on created things rather than the Creator – God Himself.

With all the glamour that surrounds Lin in the NBA, he has remained humble and thankful. How can a person stay the same in spite of his increasing popularity? It is mainly because Jeremy has found the greatest reward in life. And it’s not the Larry O’brian trophy or a contract with the Knicks, it’s his relationship with Jesus. And that was made possible when he trusted in Jesus Christ to be his personal Lord and Saviour. He can now enjoy the game of basketball not for his own personal fame but for the glory of Jesus who loves him and gave Himself up for him. Basketball is now just a platform for him to point people to the all satisfying pleasures of God.

Indeed being saved through faith in Christ is the greatest miracle a person can experience. It’s better than scoring 38 points against Kobe and the Lakers, it is better than playing for the Knicks, it is better than being the next American Idol and it is surely better than all the pleasures this world has to offer.

Indeed, only in God's presence is there "fullness of joy," and only at his right hand are there "pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:11). (FREEMAN)