I am not the biggest of football fans. I grew up in Nebraska; yes, amid cornfields and football. But throughout my first 21 years of life there, I never fully become a football fan. My father was a crop scientist and my mother a musician… so football games were never on our television at home. Instead, my family and I listened to music, watched musicals, spent a ton of time playing outdoors or followed our father in the cornfields while he gathered crop data.

But, if you live in Nebraska, football is unavoidable. Most everyone in our small town was of the philosophy that you would eat, sleep and breathe football. People could easily turn on you (and put you in your place) if you didn’t know a little about the sport. And so, my surroundings forced me to learn. 

 

No one ever sat me down and gave me a play by play. I learned by watching and listening to the conversations that happened around me ALL THE TIME. And years later, I was Co-Captain of the cheer squad and was leading our town’s high school football fans in chants and cheers. I even became a quarterback for our Powder Puff team. But, I still never quite understood the DRAW of being a football fan.

 

Now, I cheer for the Huskers (they’re my home state team… what can I say?) as well as for the Razorbacks. I realize that I never studied football… like ACTUALLY studied it. As I mentioned earlier, no one ever gave me a play by play or showed me a playbook. Which is probably why I’m not a die-hard football fan. I don’t eat, sleep or breathe football… ever. Occasionally, I will cheer loudly when the team is doing awesome and get frustrated when a referree makes a wrong call. But daily? Nope.

 

Now, back to the reason I’m actually writing this post. I started thinking about this tonight as I prepared to teach our church’s bible class called Thrive University. How can you worship something you don’t understand? I don’t think its possible. And here’s where I’m gonna lean in a little.

Joshua 1:8

Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

We find over and over in Scripture how our God is seeking after us, desiring for us to know Him and love Him. But, we find every excuse to not open our Bibles or even talk about who our God is:

  • Work has been insane this week.
  • I need a night off.
  • We’re having a family night.
  • Our kids have a lot of homework/soccer games; I can’t make it.
  • I need to make dinner for my family.
  • I’m going through something terrible and just need space.

Here’s the deal- I’ve used these exact same excuses before… and here’s where God has convicted my own heart.

Psalm 1:2-3

But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.

Now, back to the reason I’m actually writing this post. I started thinking about this tonight as I prepared to teach our church’s bible class called Thrive University. How can you worship something you don’t understand? I don’t think its possible. And here’s where I’m gonna lean in a little.

Joshua 1:8

Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

We find over and over in Scripture how our God is seeking after us, desiring for us to know Him and love Him. But, we find every excuse to not open our Bibles or even talk about who our God is:

  • Work has been insane this week.
  • I need a night off.
  • We’re having a family night.
  • Our kids have a lot of homework/soccer games; I can’t make it.
  • I need to make dinner for my family.
  • I’m going through something terrible and just need space.

Here’s the deal- I’ve used these exact same excuses before… and here’s where God has convicted my own heart.

Psalm 1:2-3

But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.

Here's the Deal...

I’ve used these exact same excuses before… and here’s where God has convicted my own heart.

Conviction is Funny

He’s whispered, “How can you worship a God you never study? How can you take communion when you’ve never looked up the words of Jesus and cried when you realize the amount of sacrifice he gave? How can you repeatedly not show up to bible study or small group… and yet make sure to show up to the church’s carnival night or Trunk or Treat? Because, let me tell you, Meg…

  • You cannot worship a God that you don’t open your Bible to learn about.
  • You cannot take communion when you have no idea what it’s about.
  • You cannot understand God when you choose surface-level fellowship versus digging into the Word with other Jesus followers.”

 

How to Become Sold-Out

Here’s what I’ve come away with: It’s only possible to become a sold-out fan when you study God’s Word. In knowing who He is, you won’t just cheer or worship when things are going well. You’ll have joy when there is sorrow… when no one else is in the stands with you… or when you don’t quite understand why God made a call the way He did. But in those times, you’ll know where to go to find the answers in the Bible.

So, choose to learn about Him today. Choose Him over your busyness, your tiredness, and your excuses.

Begin learning today. Stop choosing to miss out on opportunities to get to know Him. And maybe, soon, you’ll eat, sleep and breathe with the breath of God upon you.