It happened in a football bowl game…the greatest showing of good sportsmanship I believe I’ve witnessed.

Understand…in a bowl game, a team wants to score big, to show that they really did earn their way to a bowl. And so here was a game in its closing minutes, with this team four points behind…intercepting a pass and ran 74 yards for a score that put them three points ahead.

But to add to the other teams misery, a long pass put the come-from-behind team down on the one-yard line, in a position to add insult to injury for the opponent who had no chance to retaliate. So what did the obvious winning team do?

The quarterback took a knee on the next play. For you non-sports people, that means he took the ball, and instead of running up the score, he put his knee on the ground, killing the last play of the game. I call that good sportsmanship to the uttermost.

I suppose you could liken that to the person who lives his own way, but at the last, sees the error of his ways, and gives his heart to Christ. And Christ, instead of “running up the score” on the person’s life of sin, forgives and accepts the change.

Christ is like that, you know. He has already offered the supreme sacrifice…His own life…and His arms are open to you. All you have to do is accept it. Like the un-opened gift, as I’ve mentioned to you at other times. All the bowl games ever played don’t compare to the Good Sportsmanship Christ shows to the sinner who repents.