"Football is not a matter of life and death, it is more important than that."
Temptation
Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. James 1:14
Jesus' words to the disciples: "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." (Matt 26:41) apply as much to us as to the origininal disciples. Rick Warren sums up the challenge of temptation like this: "Temptation always tests whether you love God more than the temptation".
How easily we fall into temptation. Someone has said, "What the heart loves, the will chooses and the mind justifies". How easily do we justify giving in to temptation!
What then is the answer to temptation? James 4:7 gives the answer: "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you". To achieve that we need the strength of character to make righteous decisions. Remember too what Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it". 1Corinthians10;12-13
In the world of sport there are many temptations - the single-mindedness that makes us successful can easily lead to egoism. Our successes can make us proud. For some of us there are unimaginable sexual opportunities because of the status we have. For others a desire for a fair contract and recompense can quickly lead to greed.
We all need to watch and pray so that we do not fall into temptation.