7 day plan

Sport and the Mission of God

Day 1 of 7

NIV

Genesis 1:26-28

26Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

27So God created mankind in his own image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

28God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Series Introduction:

For the seven days, we’ll be reading the Bible with Jim Dayhew, who is leading the development of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Australia. Jim reflects, “This series of devotions will demonstrate, through the lens of sport, how God’s mission can be at work in us and through us, in everyday life. Christians understand the mission of God to be central to God’s relationship with humans and his creation. The trajectory of God’s mission is seen throughout Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation. We also understand that all our life is to be offered as a living sacrifice for Jesus’s glory, with our minds transformed for God’s service. However, we need help to apply this to specific domains of life. The hope is that whether or not you are sporty, you will recognise the mutual calling of believers to be kingdom disciple-makers, in whatever paths God has placed you on, and with whatever passions God has shaped in you, for his mission.

Reflection:

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. (Genesis 1:31)

We begin our journey at the beginning! These verses may be quite familiar to you. Just before these verses, we see the creation of humans, the pinnacle of God’s physical creation. The creation is good — very good — with humans the capstone to the overall perfection of God’s handiwork. God provided all that humans would need to thrive in his creation, ruling under his rule as stewards of all.

The creation mandate of verse 28 involves blessing, growth and stewardship. It maintains the order of creation, care for creation, and cultivates creation. Sadly, the Fall (recounted in Genesis 3, which we will come to in tomorrow’s devotion) distorts God’s good creation. Nevertheless, even post Fall, we take the creation mandate into the world.

From our particular lens for this devotion series, it can be said that sport, at its best, expresses our God-given ability to order, care for, and create with the elements God provides. From earliest times humans have been innovative in their recreational pursuits, from primitive games to the Ancient Olympic Games to modern professional sport. Consider Pickleball: a renewed fad which takes and adapts tennis, badminton, and table tennis for a new audience.  Sport is a good gift of God which can develop human community, recreation, enjoyment for God’s purposes and praise.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, I praise you as our creator and King overall. Thank you for the privilege of knowing you, by grace through faith in Jesus. Thank you that you made me to be a steward of your creation and a partner in your mission. Help me to understand how I can serve you in all parts of my life — with my family and friends, church community, school, and work, in sport and other areas of recreation. In Jesus’ name, amen.

The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.

Days

1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Genesis 1:1-31

The Beginning

1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

6And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

9And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

11Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

14And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

20And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

24And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

26Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

27So God created mankind in his own image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

28God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

29Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

31God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.