By Mallory Mattingly
Atlanta Falcons running back Nathan Carter wants you to ask yourself this: what are you willing to do for the sake of Christ?
“The life we live here on Earth matters. Because the way we live here will reflect how we will experience eternity. I saw this quote the other day and I was truly moved by it,” Carter wrote in a post on social media. “I pray for the one [who] reads this that you may ponder on the reality that a life lived for selfish ambition will lead to a life of empty glory and eternal ruin. And that you would put your faith in the one who is the Way, the Truth and The Life, Jesus Christ.”
“I pray for one who reads that professes Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior that we will be willing to suffer and to pour ourselves out all to the cause of Christ because that is what He did for us. And in doing so, knowing that we will receive a crown of righteous from King Jesus Himself for our faithful perseverance the day we see Him again,” the running back continued.
Related: Falcons’ Nathan Carter Invites Fans to ‘Come and See’ the Goodness of Jesus
Carter concluded his post with a lengthy quote from Charles Spurgeon, a 19th century preacher and evangelist:
Imagine yourselves in the future state. If you have not lived for God, but have lived for the world, for yourself, what is your portion? Endless darkness; infinite despair; unutterable woe. But if you have lived for God — if, by His grace, you have put your trust in Jesus Christ — what is your portion? You stand on glittering hills in the midst of the white-robed host, and Christ is with you. You are looking back upon what you suffered for His sake on earth, and you say, “It was nothing at all. I wish I had suffered far more for Him who suffered so much for me!” As for what you did for Him, you will say, “That is not worth mentioning. Oh, that I had lived more intensely for Him!” As for what you gave for Him, you will say, “I never gave a thousandth part of what I would give now if I had it. I reckon that I wasted what was not spent upon His Kingdom. I reckon that I lost the time that I did not use for glorifying Him.” Then you will see, from before the throne of God, that “he exists and is a rewarder of those who seek him.”
The athlete’s followers appreciated the challenge to live each day to the full for Christ.
“Come on,” New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson commented. Another follower wrote, “AMEN! ❤️”
Carter certainly uses his platform to unashamedly point his followers to Christ.
“We’re all seeking something. The amazing thing is that we have an all-loving God who is seeking us,” he wrote in a late March post.
In another post, he encouraged, “No matter who you are, or what you’ve done…There is NOTHING that can separate you from the love of God!”
Let’s take Carter’s encouragement to heart and exchange selfish ambition for a life of sacrificial service to Jesus Christ.
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