Despite the Boston Celtics playing without Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward (due to injury), the team leads their first-round series 2-0 against the Milwaukee Bucks.
They won last night 120-106 and once again Terry Rozier was a key contributor for the Celtics, scoring 23 points and dishing out eight assists. He also scored 23 points in Game 1 and hasn't had a turnover in the 78 minutes he’s played so far.
Rozier is matched up against Bucks point guard, Eric Bledsoe, and continues to outplay him. Bledsoe has been criticized for his poor play and must be feeling the pressure to step it up if they want to get back in this series.
After last night’s game, a reporter asked Bledsoe about Rozier’s strong start to the series and if he takes their matchup personally. His response was, “Who?” The reporter answered, “Terry Rozier.” Bledsoe then replied, “I don’t even know who...that is.”
Bledsoe is obviously upset and frustrated about how the series has gone so far, but his denial of knowing Terry Rozier isn’t helping matters. Everyone is joking today that he better get to know him quickly and start stopping him on defense!
Athletes tend to play mind games through the media, and denying they know a player is a deflection mechanism used when asked about someone they don’t want to talk about.
Unfortunately, denial can also be the approach we take in response to someone’s question about Jesus. We downplay our understanding of Him and our love for Him out of fear or discomfort.
Other times, our lives indicate a denial of knowing Him based on our decisions. We deny His voice and don't do what we know He wants us to do or say.
There are moments throughout our day when we deny the truth and don’t acknowledge the work He’s done in our lives. It takes confidence to boldly declare with our words and actions that we personally know Jesus and choose to follow His way.
It sometimes even requires risk and sacrifice, at the expense of persecution, to definitively proclaim who our Lord and Savior is.
But Jesus clearly tells us in Matthew 10:32-33 (AMP): “Therefore, the one who confesses and acknowledges Me before men , that one I will also confess and acknowledge before My Father who is in heaven. But the one who denies and rejects Me before men, that one I will also deny and reject before My Father who is in heaven."
Today, let’s seek to know Jesus intimately. Let's willingly communicate our passion and love for Him so that those who don’t know Him can be properly introduced.
I’m Bryce Johnson and you can unpack that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, it is my desire to never deny knowing You, but rather boldly and confidently confess and acknowledge You before men as my Lord and Savior. Forgive me for the times my responses or actions have looked more like a denial. Thank you for Your grace. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
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