Football was never my gift - Jesus was

"From the Ash"

David Ash has loved to play football since he was a child.

Mike Finger reports: "Outside the 15th Street Church of Christ in Temple,
there's a bush where he used to begin his Sunday mornings by hiding a
football. As soon as the service ended, Ash would tear off his church
clothes - he usually had planned ahead and wore his play clothes underneath
- and headed straight for the ball."

"It was a lot faster to get it out of the bush than to ask my dad for the
keys to the car," Ash said. "So I had the maximum amount of time to play
with it."

That love for football - and a lot of talent to go with it - helped David
Ash achieve what many young football players could only dream about: he
became the quarterback for the University of Texas Longhorns.

But last September, he suffered his first concussion in a game against BYU.
Then, two weeks later, he suffered more concussion symptoms in a game
against Kansas State. He sought to work through these issues, but after the
first game of this season against North Texas, he suffered dizziness and
headaches for seven days.

His doctors suggested that he may have to consider giving up football. And
as painful as it was, David Ash made the decision to end his football
career. He announced his decision in a news conference this past Monday. He
said that although it was not an easy decision, he was "at peace" with it.
He had no regrets in his career at UT in which he started 22 games and
passed for 4,728 yards. "I wouldn't change any of it," Ash said.

Now listen to this young man who has had to give up one of his dreams,
something that he has loved since he was a child. "I'm not a victim, I'm a
victor," he said on Monday. "Football was never my gift - Jesus was!" *

He's right. Of all the talents, blessings, and "gifts" that come from God
(James 1:17), the greatest Gift of all is the gift of His Son Jesus, who
died on the cross for our sins (John 3:16; Ephesians 1:7).

Without Jesus, we would ALL be lost in our sins and headed to eternal
destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). Yet, because God loves us so much that He
gave His Son to die on the cross for our sins, we can have forgiveness and
receive the gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23).

We must accept God's Gift on His terms by placing our faith and trust in
Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turning from sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31),
confessing Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), and being baptized into Christ
for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38). Then, as we continue to walk in
the light of His Word, the blood of Jesus continues to cleanse us from all
our sins (1 John 1:7).

From the "ashes" of his outstanding football career, David Ash understands
that the greatest Gift is Jesus.

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" - 2 Corinthians 9:15

Won't YOU acknowledge that great truth by submitting your life in trusting
obedience to the One who died for you so that you might live?

David A. Sargent