by Ken Thomas
The teenager said with hesitation "I've had my religion longer than I've played basketball, and I know my priorities." With that he explained why he and his brother would not play in the finals of last week's state tournament. Joey and Mike Mitchell are key players for the M. L. King Magnet School, but are also affiliated with the Worldwide Church of God. As Sabbatarians, they believe it is wrong to participate in sports activities from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.
I personally believe that the Bible teaches that the Sabbath laws of the Old Testament ended at the cross, but I admire the conviction of these boys. They stayed at home and agonized while the game was being played , and later went to the gym to join their teammates. Despite the hardship placed on the rest of the team, their coach said that the team played to "win it for Mike and Joey." The media people called the incident the "story of the tournament," as the team beat a more athletic team, without the players who had produced 34 points a game and were named to the all-tourney team (and MVP!)
THE POINT? Do we have our priorities straight? Do we have to have a LAW to make us allow the Lord's Day to be used for Him? Sunday is not the Sabbath, but what does this mean? "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another..." Hebrews 10:25-25. Think about it!