Playing for the winning team

I met with my pastor yesterday, to discuss heavy spiritual topics. We ended up discussing things like male vs. female teenage hormones. He, being a father to four daughters, said, in regard to my all-male, all-teen/pre-teen household,

"You'll get short bursts of the hormone issues, while I, I have an eight lane raging highway full of them."

Heh. Having been on that highway, I could hardly disagree.

Something else he said has really stuck with me, and that is what I wanted to share with you. Our main discussion concerned the participation of Christians in predominately un-Christian things. In this case it was Yoga and Tai Chi.

Firstly, he reminded me that ALL THINGS are slated for redemption. Jesus did die primarily to redeem us, but included in the Fall were every created thing.

And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.
Revelation 21:5 (KJV)

Secondly, he reminded me that all things are permissible.

Looking at it one way, you could say, "Anything goes. Because of God's immense generosity and grace, we don't have to dissect and scrutinize every action to see if it will pass muster." But the point is not to just get by. We want to live well, but our foremost efforts should be to help others live well. 1 Corinthians 10:23-24 (The Message)

Thirdly, and this was the one that flipped me:

"Remember, You are already redeemed. You are no longer on the defensive. You can be salt and light, because Jesus was raised from the dead."

Ahhhhhhh. Think that over a bit. Although I may feel (in this day and age) that I am the minority, that I have to defend my self, my faith, my God, this is not the case. I am already on the winning team. I need to go out, unapologetically and unafraid, and live in such a way as to be that salt and light.