A Confidence that Rests Solely in God

Equating Paul’s Success with a Basketball Player Today

Fast forward 2,000 years, and there is another man whose reasons to place confidence in himself look similar to Paul’s. Derek Thompson plays basketball at Bemidji State University. This Cold Spring, Minnesota, native and 6’8” starter for the Bemidji State Beavers tops the leaderboard for single-game scoring (45), third in number of games started (89), fifth in total number of minutes played (2,570), and seventh for total points scored (1,291), and eighth for all-time rebounds (556). He was twice named to the NSIC All-Conference Second Team, won the NSIC Men’s Honor-Student Athlete and D2 Athletic Directors Association Academic Achievement Award, and was voted Male Athlete of the Year at Bemidji State.

Derek has had incredible success in his game, but like Paul, he is learning that the most important thing for him to do with basketball and the rest of his life is to bring glory to God. He says, “In the bigger picture, basketball is really not that important. I have put a lot of pressure on myself to perform, and I want to be great, but I think the whole last year has been changing the reasons for wanting to be great instead of just doing it for myself – now I have a bigger purpose that people might see God glorified through me.”

Growing through Significant Loss

Just as Paul learned what is truly important through difficult challenges, Derek realized the same through significant challenges in. He says, “God had been calling me and convicting me to get into a real relationship with him instead of just recognizing that He’s there. My dad passed away almost a year ago from a brain tumor, and my best friend on the team died last June. That was a rough year. Through all that, I prayed but wasn’t super faithful.” As he struggled through these challenges and wrestled with what he really believes, he finally came to a point of surrender. He said, “Around January, I realized I needed to give everything to God and that He’s the only thing that really matters.”

Since then, Derek is pressing more into God all the time and has a deepening desire to see others know Christ as well. The difficulties he’s gone through give him credibility with those who watch his life and listen to his words. When they understand the loss he’s faced, they listen more intently as he shares his heart for God. While many people become bitter when they face loss like Derek has, he has focused on the work of Christ on the cross instead of his circumstances. He says, “It boils down to having such an admiration for the cross and the huge price God paid for us. The more one realizes how truly amazing that is and was, the easier and easier it becomes to glorify Him no matter what you’re going through.”