It’s been 17 years since the National Basketball Association’s 11 greatest professional players along with one amateur played for the United States’ national basketball squad, steamrolling over the opposition en route to an 8-0 win-loss record and the Olympic gold medal before wildly cheering crowd in Barcelona, Spain.
The US squad, led by Hall of Famers Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird, slapped high-fives, dished off n0-look passes, shoot three-pointers and dunked over mesmerized oppositions to the delight of the millions of basketball fans all over the world.
The greatest players in the planet were assembled for the world’s greatest sports spectacle. And they delivered telling results.
The Americans beat every opponent in the Olympics by an average of 44 points.
Since the 1992 Summer Games, basketball rose to unparalleled international prominence, sparking tremendous interest among European and Asian nations
The late NBA veteran coach Chuck Daly, who handled the so-called Original “Dream Team”, has this to say about the US Olympic squad: “It was like Elvis and the Beatles put together. Traveling with the Dream Team was like traveling with 12 rock stars. That’s all I can compare it to.”
Their opponents obviously had no chance pitting skills against the Americans.
That’s how God’s kingdom exactly looks like—dominant, forceful and impacting globally.
And here’s the prophet Isaiah’s prophecy, describing Jesus and His kingdom’s global impact in Isaiah 9:6-7:
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, [a] Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.(EMPHASIS MINE) He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.
When we allow Jesus to take the prominent seat in our heart, it means allowing Him to rule in our lives—our finances, our careers, our key relationships, our academics, etc.
His rule results to a peace that’s unparalleled. Yes, the “storms of life” may come along from time to time, but having Christ in our lives make us secure, knowing that He is faithful and true.
If God’s kingdom is like a basketball team, Christ certainly is the head coach. His players include those who follow Him.
His team doesn’t require perfect, unblemished, sinless people. In fact, He is looking exactly for the imperfect, those who think they are losers and those who think they are weak.
If you fit in the criteria above, you are most welcome to join His team because Christ is an expert in turning losers to winners—for life.
4You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)
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