Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. (Deuteronomy 7:9)
To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?’ says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. (Isaiah 40:25-26)
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.’ (John 10:27-30)
‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’ (Revelation 1:8)
Thought
The delayed Olympics have now started in Tokyo. They are being billed as an Olympics like no other. It is true that many things are not as they would usually be. For starters they are a year late, they are still called the Olympics 2020, even though we are in 2021. The lack of spectators at most events gives a very different atmosphere to the events. However what has stayed the same is the dedication and hard work that the competitors have been through in their preparation for the games. Over the past five years, long hours of training have been completed. Much has been sacrificed by both the competitors and their families in order that each athlete is the best that they can be.
The goal is to win a gold medal. Yesterday Tom Daley finally gained a gold medal in the synchronised diving. It has taken him thirteen years and four Olympic Games in order to achieve the prize of a gold medal. The achievement is great. He will be able to say that at one point in time, he and his diving partner were the best in the world at their specific event.
It is a wonderful achievement, but it is fleeting. At the next Olympic Games it might be someone else who gets the gold medal, someone else will be declared to be the best in the world. World records will be made and then they will be broken. Each athlete is simply the best for just a short period of time.
When we think about God we know that he is simply the best. However, the difference is that he is simply the best for all time. As we are reminded in Revelation, ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’ There is nothing fleeting about God.
Whatever happens in the Olympics, however many gold medals Team GB achieve, or don’t achieve we can hold on to the fact that we are on God’s team and that is the best team of all.
Prayer
We thank you God, that you are the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Amen