30 Mar, 2009
You're benched!...for your own good
Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony says he wishes George Karl would have kept his insubordination a secret but promises next time his coach tries to sub for him, he’ll sprint right to the bench like a kid lunging for an empty seat at musical chairs.
“I’m going to run. I’m going to run to the bench. I’m going to run hard to the bench,” Anthony pledged Wednesday after practicing with the team for the first time since his one-game suspension for refusing to come out of Denver’s game at Indiana on a recent Sunday night.
Anthony, who had been mired in a shooting funk, had just hit a couple of shots late in the third quarter against the Pacers and said he felt his hot hand merited his staying in the game, so he refused to be subbed for Linas Kleiza.
Karl was incredulous. So, after conferring with the team’s brain trust, Karl suspended Anthony for the Nuggets’ game the next Tuesday night at Detroit.
“It was just me wanting to be in there, wanting to play, wanting to finish that run that we just had,” Anthony explained in his first public comments about the incident. … If I was wrong, I was wrong. I don’t think I can be wrong for wanting to win a basketball game and trying to help my team win.”
Karl said there was a thin line between passionate play and insubordination and his star player crossed it by crossing the coach.
“I didn’t want to come out,” Anthony said.
What Karl wanted was for Anthony to come out.
(To view full story by Arnie Stapleton, go to sports.yahoo.com 3/4/09)
Exodus 20:11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Exodus 31:15 For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death.
What does God’s Story teach us about the importance of the Sabbath?
These two verses are only a sampling of many such verses that reference the Sabbath. It is an extremely important part of what God has called us to as His followers, yet somehow, we have marginalized it. We, as Christians, have somehow made this an optional part of serving God.
It is the 4th of the 10 commandments. It is referenced over 150 times in the Bible. It has been deemed “holy” by God Himself and He even imposed the penalty of death for any Israelite who would break it. This is serious to our God…and I would suggest that it needs to be more serious to us.
Connecting today’s story and God’s Story with my story
Why did God place such a great importance on the Sabbath? Perhaps it was because He knows us so well. He knows that we are inclined to constantly be on the go…run a fast pace…accomplish all that we can…fit in as much as possible. But in the midst of that, the one thing we often fail to fit in is time to just be with God. Psalm 46:10 is a verse that simply says, be still and know that I am God. Perhaps that is why He declared the Sabbath “holy”.
The Sabbath is also an expression of faith. How so? Well, one of the reasons we are so busy 24/7 is because there is so much to do…and we feel that if we don’t do it, it simply won’t get done…or done soon enough.
In today’s story, Carmelo Anthony wanted to be in the game. He even thought he had good reasons. After all, he was just trying to help the team. Apparently he felt like they couldn’t do it without him.
If we really think that taking some time away to rest and be with God will bring the world to ruin, then what does that say about our reliance on God? How much does it indicate a lack of faith in the One who is ultimately in control.
Carmelo misunderstood who the coach was, even to the point of direct disobedience to a command. How much are we living in that same misunderstanding? Our Coach has made it abundantly clear…He wants us to regularly “come out of the game”.
In John 15:5, Jesus tells us to abide in Him and He will abide in us. He also teaches that apart from Him, we can do nothing.
If we are really going to be serious about reaching our friends, we have to take time away to abide in Christ. We must have the regular discipline of getting out of the game, stepping off of the treadmill of life and resting in Him.
It is there where we will learn His heart for our friends. It is in those moments when we will be refreshed in our own spirit so that we can refresh others. It is then that He will be able to guide us in how we should reach out to those He has placed around us.
Sabbath…rest…holy
- February 2012 [5]
- January 2012 [18]
- December 2011 [20]
- November 2011 [15]
- October 2011 [15]
- September 2011 [14]
- August 2011 [22]
- July 2011 [19]
- June 2011 [21]
- May 2011 [20]
- April 2011 [20]
- March 2011 [21]
- February 2011 [20]
- January 2011 [21]
- December 2010 [21]
- November 2010 [21]
- October 2010 [21]
- September 2010 [22]
- August 2010 [21]
- July 2010 [22]
- June 2010 [20]
- May 2010 [18]
- April 2010 [21]
- March 2010 [23]
- February 2010 [19]
- January 2010 [22]
- December 2009 [22]
- November 2009 [21]
- October 2009 [22]
- September 2009 [21]
- August 2009 [20]
- July 2009 [21]
- June 2009 [22]
- May 2009 [18]
- April 2009 [15]
- March 2009 [7]
- February 2009 [17]
- January 2009 [20]
- December 2008 [23]
- November 2008 [19]
- October 2008 [22]
- September 2008 [22]
- August 2008 [19]
- July 2008 [22]
- June 2008 [11]
- May 2008 [19]
- April 2008 [22]
- March 2008 [21]
- February 2008 [18]
- January 2008 [20]
- December 2007 [18]
- November 2007 [15]
- October 2007 [19]
- September 2007 [18]
- August 2007 [12]
- July 2007 [12]
- June 2007 [9]
- May 2007 [11]
- April 2007 [10]
- March 2007 [11]
- February 2007 [14]
- January 2007 [7]
- December 2006 [4]
- November 2006 [13]
- October 2006 [17]
- September 2006 [11]
- August 2006 [16]
- July 2006 [10]
- June 2006 [3]
