Champions Are Made, Not Born Series

CHAMPIONS ARE MADE, NOT BORN (1 SAM. 17:21-49)

//Lucy was reading a book when his brother Linus said while eating his sandwich: “"Hands are fascinating things. . . . I like my hands. . . . I think I have nice hands. . . . My hands seem to have a lot of character. . . . These are hands which may someday accomplish great things. . . . These are hands which may someday do marvelous works. "

His sister Lucy stopped reading as Linus continued blurting: " They may build mighty bridges, or heal the sick, or hit home runs or write soul-stirring novels . These are the hands which may someday change the course of destiny!"

Lucy looked down at Linus’ hands and said as a matter of fact, “They’ve got jelly on them!" and walked away leaving Linus speechless and his mood dampened.

Leonard Ravenhill tells of a group of tourists who were visiting a picturesque village. One person turned to an elderly man sitting nearby and asked, “Were any great men born in this village?” The old man replied, “Nope, only babies.” (Preaching, Jan-Feb 1993)

Hockey great Wayne Gretzky was asked, “What is it that separates great champions from the near-great?” He replied, “My goodness, I don’t know. If I did, I’d bottle it up and sell it.” (“What do Jeff Gordon, Martina Navratilova, Bob Knight and Mariano Rivera have in common?” USA TODAY 9/22/06)

One of the greatest president and leader the world was a failure who made it to the top through persistence:

Age 22, failed in business.

Age 23, ran for legislature and was defeated.

Age 24, failed again in business.

Age 25, elected to legislature.

Age 27, had a nervous breakdown.

Age 29, defeated for Speaker of legislature.

Age 31, defeated for elector.

Age 34, defeated for Congress.

Age 37, elected to Congress.

Age 39, defeated for Congress.

Age 46, defeated for Senate.

Age 47, defeated for Vice President

Age 51, elected President of the United States.

The failure is none other than Abraham Lincoln.

People are not born champions; they are made champions. Some people are champions because of their parent, spouse, teacher, mentor, or friend. Some have dreams, some work hard, and some overcame failures.

Goliath was a born champion (vv 4, 23), but David was the real champion. Goliath was naturally big, tall, strong, but David cut him down to size. However, do not try this at home.

What made David the true champion that he was? Because of his training in spare time , his tenacity in actual course, and his trust in the Lord.

The Ball is in Your Court

32 David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” 33 Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you.”

According to a study from the University of Chicago, most Americans think adulthood begins at age 26, not when one is old enough to vote or drive. The study said that most people do not consider a person grown up until they finish school, get a full-time job and start raising a family. Nearly 1,400 answered questions about adulthood for the last 30 years.

The categories ranked as “extremely important” in achieving adulthood are: having a child, 16%; being married, 19%; living independently of parents, 29%; being financial independent, 47%; supporting a family, 60%; being employed full-time, 61%; and completing an education, 73%.

According to those surveyed the average age someone should marry was 25.7, and the age for having children was 26.2. The average ages for other categories are: financially independent, 20.9; not living with parents, 21.2; full-time employment, 21.2; finishing school, 22.3; and being able to support a family, 24.5. (AOL News (AP): “Survey: Most Say adulthood Begins at 6.”)

David reached maturity quicker than other young people his age. To Jesse, the family, and outsiders, David was nothing more than a gopher, a delivery boy, a food caddy (v 17-18). To everyone he was a youth or a boy or a lad – to Saul (vv. 33, 55) and Goliath (v 42). The word “youth” in Hebrew can mean any age from baby Moses (Ex 2:6) to seventeen-year old Joseph (Gen 37:2) and Moses’ helper Joshua (Ex 33:11).