Die Empty (A Tarheel Football Story)

Entering week four of the college football season the University of North Carolina’s Football Program is currently undefeated, with a record of 3-0, and currently ranked #18 in the Coaches Poll.  While the Tarheels have not looked overly impressive, they’ve found ways to win several close games and enter the weekend as one of the two unbeaten teams remaining in the ACC.  I’m a huge football & UNC fan, so, thanks to Butch Davis’ leadership, I finally have a Tarheel football program to follow and be proud of. If you’ve watched football over the last couple seasons, you’ve noticed a new phenomenon that’s being embraced on the football field: hiding messages on those eye black patches players are now wearing. I think the most infamous of the “eye-black messages” may be on the eye-blacks of Tim Tebow, the quarterback of the University of Florida.  Each week he writes a scripture reference on them.  Tebow loves Jesus and uses these small messages as an opportunity to display his witness for Jesus.  I’ve never liked Florida much, but I have a lot of respect for Tebow, both as a man and as a football player. This past weekend I was watching the Tarheels play East Carolina’s Pirates.  UNC and East Carolina always play each other well.   During the game I noticed most of the guys have these eye-black patches with little messages on.  At one point, a defensive back from UNC stood up and you could plainly read the message he chose for this week: One word under each eye:  Die Empty. Worship is the emptying of ourselves.  It’s the forsaking of our option to elevate ourselves, our things, and others to receive our affections and deepest attention.  Worship is the choice to die empty. Jesus said that if we were to follow him, we would need to be dying daily to ourselves, our addictions, our will, our stuff, and our agenda.  To be alive in Christ is to be dead to all of that. To worship is to choose, with a quiet resilience, to empty ourselves of anything but Jesus and die empty, filled and satisfied solely by Jesus. So, my friends, have a worshipful day and “die empty”. ——————————————————————————————– Worship this week @ Friend Church. Worship Leader: Kevin Simmons Songs to know: “We Will Not Be Shaken” & “How He Loves”