Personal Testimony
It was a tremendous honor and thrill to play for a world championship team. I made the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1974 as a undrafted free agent, and in my first six years with them, played in four Super Bowls. It meant a lot to be a member of the first four–time Super Bowl Champion in NFL history. But I don’t share my testimony to tell you about my football accolades. There is something more important in my life than winning Super Bowls.
It all started near the end of my rookie season as we were getting ready to meet Oakland Raiders for the AFC championship in 1974. It was the night before the game and I felt an emptiness inside of me. I should have been excited, being a rookie who made the team and now playing for the AFC championship. What more could a young man want? But for some reason I was not satisfied.
I decided to go down stairs to the coffee shop and grab some food so at least my stomach wasn’t empty. There I met the man who was scheduled to speak to our team chapel service the next day. We talked for a while, and what he told me I realize now was the most important message anyone could ever tell me. Let me briefly outline what he shared with me:
• First, he said that God loved me and had a plan for my life. He quoted from the Bible: Christ said, “I came that they may have life, and might have it abundantly.”
• Second, he said we don’t experience God’s love and plan because of sin, which means that man is separated from God and going his own way. Again he quoted from the Bible: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
• Finally, I was told that I needed to individually receive Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord. Only in that way could I experience God’s love and plan. And again he quoted from the Bible where Christ said, “Behold I stand at the door (of your life) and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him.”
The answer to my emptiness was Jesus Christ. Instead of man trying to reach God, God reached down to man through Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Only through Christ could man enter into a relationship with God.”
That night I prayed a simple prayer and asked Jesus Christ to come into my life and forgive me of my sins. I noticed immediately that the emptiness I was experiencing in my life, even though I was successful in pro football, was filled. That’s why I want to challenge you to meet Christ one-on-one and let Him begin to take control over your life. You can start where I started, by simply praying, admitting your need for His forgiveness and asking him to come into your life.
Scriptures
John 10:10, Romans 3:23, Romans 5:8, Revelation 3:20, 1 John 1:9 and Philippians 1:6