Ja Morant has dazzled the basketball world with his electric, high-flying dunks since joining the NBA in 2019. If you watched the Memphis Grizzlies frequently enough, you could expect to see Morant take off from a distance and attempt acrobatic dunks that would leave the stadium in a frenzy.
To hear the young superstar tell it, however, those flashy moments may now be a thing of the past.
Speaking to reporters following an incident where he performed an anti-climactic two-hand dunk in a scenario that historically would have resulted in a clip for the highlight reel, Morant commented on how he was trying to avoid his acrobatic dunks so that he might better preserve his body.
After being booed by the crowd for his decision to forego an exciting move, Morant said, "Hey, I got two points. It was still a dunk. It was just not the dunk they wanted to see. But if they boo me off a little rim-grazer, I'm fine with that."
Though we all love to see athletic basketball plays, Morant is correct in his assessment: two points is two points, no matter how exciting or boring the play may be.
As followers of Jesus, it isn't uncommon for us to get sucked into the temptation of feeling like we need to be flashy in our own lives.
Existing in a society that highly emphasizes success, fame, and accomplishments, we can begin to feel like we must make "highlight reel" plays in our lives if we want to amount to something.
But we must always remember that we are never to conform our lives to the world's standards. Instead, we should prioritize the things that matter most to God.
Thankfully, God's biggest concern for us is not how much success we have from an earthly viewpoint. Scripture makes it abundantly clear that He is far more concerned with our hearts and us being faithful and obedient in the tasks before us than He is about the size of our accomplishments.
While the world tells us to be flashy and to prioritize success and attention, we should remember Paul's words to the church in Thessalonica: "Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. Then people who are not believers will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others" (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, NLT).
As easy as it is to believe that our success might be what points people to Jesus, Paul seems to indicate that doing ordinary things in a God-honoring way is the way to gain the respect of others.
If we aren't careful, we can miss out on the "ordinary opportunities" that God places in front of us daily because we are too busy dreaming about what we perceive to be more significant and meaningful opportunities.
Today, let's remember that anything we do, no matter how big or small, should be done for the glory of God. Let's aim to live a life of obedience and faithfulness so that God may get the glory in all our tasks…even when they aren't flashy.
I'm Matt Osborne, and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please forgive me for the times when I have not been faithful and obedient in the tasks You have given me. Please help me to embrace faithfulness in all areas of my life to bring you glory. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen.
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