Shaming of theTrue 

A fresh and unique blending of two traditionally disconnected topics---spirituality and sports. Follow Sly Young as he attempts to accomplish the feat of playing professionally in the three major sports using positive character traits taught through scripture.

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12-27-10

                            
                                   Sincerely Yours,

1 CORINTHIANS 3:13 & 14- Every man’s work shall be made manifest: and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is, 14) If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

Have you ever closed a letter with the salutation, “Sincerely yours”? What did you mean? How about giving someone a sincere apology? These are two common examples of how we use the term sincere or show our sincerity.

Many people probably use the term without thinking or realizing the importance of possessing this trait. You could actually argue that the opposite of sincerity is hypocrisy. Oh how we hate a hypocrite! Or worse still to have someone believe that we are a hypocrite.

Sincerity can be described as an eagerness to do what is right with transparent motives. A hypocritical person would probably appear to do what is right under the cloak of deception. First Isaiah prophesied to the hypocrites in his day, followed by Jesus applying the same words to call out the religious leaders during Jesus’ ministry. This was followed by Paul in our lead scripture. The problem was a totally lack of sincerity. The people would claim to honor God but their hearts wouldn’t be in the right place. The words would sound good and the command of the Scriptures would be awesome, but the sincere knowledge of God was missing. The fire that tries every man’s work is the testing at the judgment day. This will expose how transparent your motives have been in regard to doing what is right (righteousness). Sincerity is a conscious effort all the time.

Another key component is that the reward comes from God not man. One problem that interferes with sincerity is when peer or people approval becomes the motive. It is possible to please folks and still be sincere, but the reward comes when the motives were only because it was the right thing to do. God knows your heart, thus He knows your motives. Your reward will come from God! He has said very clearly that if you seek and receive your reward (approval or material things) from man, He has no need to reward you. Sincerity starts with trying to see things from a righteous perspective. This does not mean to act righteously and appear to be upright on the outside, but means to have faith in the righteousness of God on the inside. It requires a relationship with God to determine His correct and/or moral standard. After you know and understand His standard, don’t worry about what it looks like, just do what is right.

A favorite song of mine is, “Express Yourself”. One verse goes like this, “It’s not what you look like when you’re doin’ what you’re doin’, It’s what you’re doin’ when you’re doin’ what it looks like you’re doin’.” Of course this can be easier said than done but the key is in the sincerity and where your motives are. We all miss the mark sometimes but the righteousness and sincerity is always there.

Many of the examples of insincerity that Jesus exposes are related to the religious leaders. Paul chose to repeat these warnings in our scripture to teach the importance of being sincere in not only your words but in your heart and motives. You may be able to cover yourself in the world but the judgment will come from the one who sees the transparency…or sees the hypocrisy. You better believe that God dislikes hypocrites just as much, and probably more than you and other folks. It easily becomes a trust issue when insincerity lifts its ugly head. Terms like fake, manipulator and phony come to mind.

What a devastating thing to have a phony for a teacher, coach or teammate. A strong relationship on and off the court must be grounded in trust. The same applies for the student/teacher bond. Some people may pick up on insincerity quicker than others but it is very hard to maintain a disguise when dealing with motives. Whether it is selfishness, or manipulation for material gain, or just plain evil, most people place their own fire to the work, or judge the work. If for some reason the work is able to fool some of the people, all of the time, it will never get pass the true fire.

Athletes in your preparation, training and team relationships eagerly strive to learn the righteousness of God. This will give you the advantage of displaying an important character trait---sincerity. Eagerly do what is right just because it is right. That is the only motive you need. That is sincerity in a nutshell. I sincerely hope you receive this lesson.

                                                                                                    Sincerely yours,

                                                                                                    Fred Tudor

Fred Tudor is a twenty-two year employee of the Cincinnati Public Schools as a Health and Physical Education teacher. He has been coaching at the high school level in Greater Cincinnati since graduating from Wittenberg University in 1979. His coaching stints includes stops at his alma mater Walnut Hills High School, Hughes Center High School, and from 1990 until present coaches at Wyoming High School. His church home is Cincinnati Bibleway Church in Madisonville, Apostles James and Grace Blue Pastors. Contact Information: 513.328.2767 E-Mail: Info@CincySportsWorld.com