Read
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
James 1:22
Reflect
As I sit here writing this reflection, I’m flipping between a college and a professional football game. It’s amazing to watch these finely tuned athletes run as hard and hit as hard as they do. I’ve always loved football, but the athletes of today are bigger, faster and stronger than I ever remember seeing when I was a kid.
The crowds are bigger, too. My favorite team is the Florida Gators, and Florida Field has grown dramatically since I started following them in 1980. Tens of thousands of people pack stadiums every weekend to watch elite athletes push themselves to their physical limits.
I’m reminded of a saying that my stepfather borrowed from former Oklahoma head coach Bud Wilkinson. Dad used to say, “College and professional football is 80,000 people in the stands who desperately need exercise cheering for 22 men on the field who desperately need rest.”
Bud and my stepfather weren’t wrong. If you’ve been to a football game lately or watched one on TV, you’ve probably seen fans sitting in the stands eating hot dogs and drinking beer while the players they root for run at full speed and endure collisions violent enough to break bones and cause concussions. Then, when the game is over, you’ll hear fans say things like, “We blew them out! We were incredible today!”
If we’re honest, there’s not much “we” involved. We watched. We cheered. We may have lost our voices. But the players were the ones who actually did the work.
Sadly, it’s easy to bring that same spectator mentality into church. We can talk proudly about “our” youth ministry, “our” missions work or “our” outreach while leaving most of the actual work to someone else. We can cheer for people who serve, give and sacrifice while remaining comfortably in the stands ourselves.
Christianity was never meant to be a spectator sport.
James reminds us to “…be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” Throughout Scripture, God’s people are repeatedly called into action — to go, serve, teach, give, love, forgive, make disciples and bear witness to Christ.
That doesn’t mean every Christian has to become a missionary in a foreign country or a street preacher in the inner city. It does mean that our faith should move beyond what we hear on Sunday morning. We are called to share our faith when opportunities arise, but being a “doer of the word” is even broader than that. It means serving people who need help. It means showing mercy. It means giving generously, forgiving people who have hurt us, controlling our words and living with integrity when no one is watching.
It also means living our faith in such a way that Christianity is commended to the people we encounter.
If Christianity were a sport, it would be completely unique because in no other sport can someone instantly move from the stands onto the field. There is no tryout required. There is no depth chart keeping us on the bench.
The invitation is already there.
I pray that today you are more than a spectator who cheers on other people as they live out the Christian faith. Get out of the stands. Suit up. Put yourself into the action.
It’s not only where the Lord calls us to be. It’s where we were meant to be all along.
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Reflection copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.
