Marnus Labuschagne
I think most of you probably don't know that I was a decent cricketer when I was at school. I ended up getting invited to one of the big cricket schools in the country, but I didn't like it there and I ended up back at Boksburg High, where my cricket kind of fell apart, but my music and other things took off.
I'm sure there was a reason for that, but cricket came back into my mind recently when I read an article about Manus Labuschagne. He plays for Australia, believe it or not, although he was born in South Africa, and his faith, his Christian faith, really defines him.
Christian Role Models
And so I thought I'd do a week of devotions on some Christian cricket players. Whether you love cricket or whether you know nothing about it or hate it, stick with me this week because I think these stories that I'm going to share are going to be helpful to us as Christians wherever we are now.
Labuschagne is one of the best players in the world at the moment, and I read an article about him which talked about his faith.
The article said this: “Every time he walks onto the field, Manus displays his faith. His mother, a very good Christian lady, inspired him to have Bible verses printed on his shoes to reflect the way we walk in the blessings we're given. And he has the number 4031 on the bottom of his bat, which is a reference to his favorite Bible verse in Isaiah: "Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:31)
Faith In Daily Life
I love this. I love the thought of taking your faith into your work day in some way. For him, he's got his Bible verses on his shoes and on his bat, just to remind him that he's called by God to do what he's supposed to do.
He talks as well about how he prays that all the glory will go to Him, whatever happens—win or lose—on any given day on the cricket field.
Living With Scripture
Now what about you and I? How do we take our faith into the day with us?More important than writing Bible verses on our shoes, of course, is writing them in our hearts. In Colossians 3:16, Paul wrote: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." That's what it's all about.
And I think Manus's habit of writing his verses on his shoes or having his sticker on his bat or whatever helps him to remember the Word of God and have it dwell in his heart.
So whatever you're doing with your day, do you have reminders of God's Word? Maybe a Bible verse on the background of your phone? A reminder on your calendar about the verse you read this morning? Maybe a Bible verse on your desktop background of your computer?
I remember in my gran's house there were Bible verses all over the place. I think she put them there so that she could reflect on them all throughout the day.
So write your Bible verses on your shoes, on your bat, or wherever else you need, so that you can have the Word of Christ dwell in you richly all throughout your day.