The Last and the NBA
Blog / Produced by The High Calling
As a young, short, and skinny athlete, Anthony "Spud" Webb was never an early pick. He was the guy overlooked and underestimated in junior high, high school, even junior college. What would you expect for a 5'7" basketball player? Spud nonetheless had a champion’s heart and a champion’s will to persevere. There came the day when Coach Jimmy Valvano looked beyond Spud’s size and gave him a chance at North Carolina State. Spud's heart to compete—and a 42-inch vertical leap, incidentally—eventually landed him in the NBA and, remarkably, a spot as the 1986 NBA Slam Dunk Champion.
In the Bible, in 1 Samuel 16, Samuel heard from the Lord to go and find a new king among the sons of Jesse and to anoint the new king with oil. "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him," God said. "The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
Samuel observed each of Jesse’s seven sons, and to onlookers' amazement, passed up every one. Each time, Samuel said, "The LORD has not chosen this one as king." Finally the prophet turned to Jesse and asked, "Are these all the sons you have?"
Well, David, the youngest, was out tending the sheep . . .
From a field of eight strapping brothers, Samuel chose Jesse's youngest boy and anointed him the future king. In subsequent stories, we learn more about David's heart as he confronts Goliath on the battlefield, a classic giant versus small guy—the heavy favorite and the underdog. David surely wasn't a first-round pick either, but Goliath also overlooked and underestimated the heart of a young, brave king.
The eyes of Christ, our Lord, filter out all the world’s corrupting standards. John 15:19 says, "You do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you." Imagine: God chooses us just as we are.
Consider:
Do these Scriptures change your perceptions and evaluations of your coworkers and friends?
What inner qualities do you think God has placed in you? Do you have qualities you long for people to see?
What can you do today to see people as God sees them?
In the Bible, in 1 Samuel 16, Samuel heard from the Lord to go and find a new king among the sons of Jesse and to anoint the new king with oil. "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him," God said. "The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
Samuel observed each of Jesse’s seven sons, and to onlookers' amazement, passed up every one. Each time, Samuel said, "The LORD has not chosen this one as king." Finally the prophet turned to Jesse and asked, "Are these all the sons you have?"
Well, David, the youngest, was out tending the sheep . . .
From a field of eight strapping brothers, Samuel chose Jesse's youngest boy and anointed him the future king. In subsequent stories, we learn more about David's heart as he confronts Goliath on the battlefield, a classic giant versus small guy—the heavy favorite and the underdog. David surely wasn't a first-round pick either, but Goliath also overlooked and underestimated the heart of a young, brave king.
The eyes of Christ, our Lord, filter out all the world’s corrupting standards. John 15:19 says, "You do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you." Imagine: God chooses us just as we are.
Consider:
Do these Scriptures change your perceptions and evaluations of your coworkers and friends?
What inner qualities do you think God has placed in you? Do you have qualities you long for people to see?
What can you do today to see people as God sees them?
Ethics is about knowing and doing what is good or right, and workplace ethics is about knowing and doing what is good or right at work. For the Christian, this means applying the Bible and other resources of the Christian faith to help decide and do what is ethical or moral at work.