How Much Do You Care?

Related Scripture:

“If I speak human or angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give away all my possessions, and if I give over my body to boast but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is love.” - I Corinthians 13:1-7, 13.

Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt was 26th President of the United States, still the youngest to ever serve at age 42. He was known for his Square Deal Policy: 3 C’s - Conservation, Control of Corporations, Consumer Protection. He was even a Nobel Peace Prize Winner. Although unconfirmed, he’s attributed with the famous quote “people don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care”.

We need faith. Hebrews 11:6 tells us it’s impossible to please God without it. II Corinthians 5:7 declares we walk by it. We need hope. Psalm 119:116 exhorts us not to be ashamed of our hope. Romans 15:13 encourages us to serve the God of hope. We also need love, which happens to be the greatest of these three. Jesus tells us in Mark 12:30-31 that love is the greatest commandment: love God, love self, love others. I John 4:8 affirms that if we don’t love, we don’t know God. 

How much do you care? This can also be asked: how much do you love (God, self, others)? The officials you work with, coaches you interact with, and players you engage need to experience your care (love) more than your knowledge. We absolutely need to know the rules, mechanics, and standards, and have great judgment. For that knowledge to have the greatest impact, it must be rooted in the greatest thing: love.

Questions to Ponder:

Do you put more emphasis and attention on how much you know or how much you care?

Do you care more about winning an argument/being right or winning a soul to Christ?

Kristopher D. Loving, Sr. - Fellowship of Christian Athletes - Zionsville, IN