In many respects, Thursday night's game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams lacked the excitement fans hoped for.
Poor weather made it difficult for either offense to find its rhythm, but the Rams outlasted the 49ers 12-6 in the only game in the NFL this season without a touchdown.
But the lack of offensive fireworks doesn't mean there was a lack of intrigue.
After accruing several injuries to its linebacker unit, San Francisco looked to veteran De'Vondre Campbell to enter the game in the middle of the third quarter.
However, when they called his number, Campbell refused to enter the game. Shortly after that, he was spotted exiting the sidelines and walking to the locker room in the fourth quarter.
It was bizarre to see a professional athlete refuse to enter a game, and it was even more strange to see a player head for the locker room before the contest ended.
Naturally, Campbell received plenty of backlash after refusing to play, with some of his teammates openly calling his behavior "selfish."
As easy as it would be to criticize a professional athlete for refusing to follow his coaches' directions, I want to focus today on an interesting parallel that this situation could have in our walk of faith.
As followers of Jesus, we must admit there are times when we don't naturally feel inclined to follow God's instructions. You could even say there are times when God has "called us into action," yet we refuse to "step onto the field."
If we are honest, sometimes obedience to Jesus can be difficult. Being faithful to His commands can often mean being inconvenienced or forced to step out of our comfort zone.
In those moments, though, we often have the best opportunity to display our love for Christ by "stepping onto the field" regardless of how we feel.
In John 14:21 (ESV), Jesus said, "Whoever has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."
Rather than focusing on how difficult obedience to God can be in any situation, we should remind ourselves that Jesus was obedient even unto death so that He might reconcile us to God.
The more we consider what Jesus has done for us, the more we will recognize that our obedience and sacrifice are small in comparison.
As we contemplate the graciousness of Christ, we will find that we become more willing to step out in obedience in areas that we might naturally find challenging.
Today, let's resolve to "step onto the field" and obey God, even when difficult. Let's adopt the attitude expressed by Jesus in John 14:31 (ESV): "But I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father."
I'm Matt Osborne, and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please give me strength and courage to obey You even when it seems difficult. Thank you for being faithful and giving me everything I need to live a life that brings You glory. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen.
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