The Tokyo Olympics is here. And, so is a new Christian sports devotional. The Spirit of Victory. Whether you are a sports lover interested in who Jesus is, or, a Christian exploring how God works in His world. This devotional aims to help in two ways.
Deeper knowledge of God, using the Olympics
Firstly, the Bible passages unpacked in this devotional help strengthen our relationship with God. Each devotional unpacks a Bible verse that reveals a God with whom we wrestle. A God that encourages us to keep walking forward in our faith and a God of grace.
The primary way God reveals Himself is through the Bible. The Bible is ‘God breathed’ and we want to be faithful to the Biblical text. It is this text that has the power to work hand-in-glove with the Spirit to change lives.
As a result, I have partnered with two other Pastors to produce a devotional that aims to unpack the message of Jesus, using sport as the vehicle: The Spirit of Victory.
Deeper faith using the Olympics
Secondly, do you want to use the biggest sporting event in the world to help go deeper in your faith? This devotional will help.
God is interested in every aspect of life, including sport. The Bible has many examples of sport that help us develop a richer relationship with God. The Games allow us to do what the Bible does often: to transpose the temporary challenges we see in sport and our lives to a spiritual level.
For example. When we watch Olympic boxing we are to see beyond the physical. To a different kind of fight: the spiritual battles won by Jesus.
This book brings together three authors who love Jesus, who have studied and written about the Bible over many years, who have served in ministry, including within sport. Church of Christ Pastors, Travis Barnes and Peter Nelson have contributed chapters to the project, along with myself.
Barnes has been a Pastor in Central Victoria and regular sports journalist and writer for Christian Today, Australia. Nelson was Pastor in several Canberra Churches. Nelson was also chaplain at the Australian Institute of Sport and several Olympic Games.
Their experience in exploring the Bible and understanding sport within our culture has produced some fascinating chapters. Our desire, as authors, is to point to this Gospel of grace from these Bible passages.
Discovering the true God of the Olympics
This devotional has a focus of bringing you, the reader, into God’s Word using sport and the Olympics as the vehicle to point you to Jesus. Parts of The Spirit of Victory will feature each day of the Olympics in Christian Today Australia. The Spirit of Victory is published by Star Label Publishing and is available through all good bookstores.
Jeremy Dover is a former sports scientist and Pastor
Jeremy Dover's previous articles may be viewed at https://www.pressserviceinternational.org/jeremy-dover1.html
And https://www.pressserviceinternational.org/jeremy-dover.html
