Pleasure in Our Purpose | The Institute for Creation Research

Pleasure in Our Purpose

Eric Liddell was one of the most famous athletes of the 20th century and perhaps the greatest that Scotland ever produced. An international rugby player, Olympic champion, and world-record-holding sprinter, the “Flying Scotsman” was also a man of deep Christian faith and conviction—a story captured so beautifully in the 1981 Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire.

During the 1924 Olympics, Liddell made international headlines when he withdrew from the 100-meter race—his best event—because the qualifying heats were held on Sunday. He suffered much ridicule at the time but refused to compromise his conviction to honor God. Unknown to most, Liddell had set his sights on full-time ministry in China. But his desire to compete was also strong, a position he explained to his sister in a pivotal scene in the film: “Jenny, you’ve got to understand. I believe God made me for a purpose—for China. But He also made me fast! And when I run, I feel His pleasure. To give it up would be to hold Him in contempt.”

Liddell would later compete in the 400-meter race—an event in which he was not favored—and surprised the world by winning Olympic gold. Overnight he became the most famous man in the British Empire and the world of athletics, and his testimony and fame greatly aided his missionary work in China. Without question, Eric Liddell was a born athlete. God made him fast, but God also used his speed for a far greater purpose.

The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah was also born for a purpose. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). But unlike the Flying Scotsman, Jeremiah won no races, no gold medals, and he never experienced the glory and adulation of fame. Instead, tears of anguish dampened his cheeks as the “weeping prophet” spent decades calling God’s people to repentance. Jeremiah suffered great persecution and ridicule throughout his ministry (e.g., Jeremiah 20:1-7), but his sense of divine purpose drove him to fulfill God’s calling, and he felt God’s pleasure when doing what he was born to do. Even in the darkest days of apostasy, he could rest in the assurance that God’s “compassions fail not” for “the LORD is my portion…therefore I hope in Him!” (Lamentations 3:22-24).

There’s a saying in sports that “you can’t teach speed.” You can coach a man to run faster, but you can’t improve on what isn’t already there. Such is the case with Liddell and Jeremiah. We’d never expect God to call a man to be an Olympic sprint champion without outfitting him first with speed, nor would God call a man to be a prophet without equipping him for the task. God not only gave Jeremiah the words to speak, but He also strengthened his resolve, promising to protect and deliver him from the fight to come (Jeremiah 1:7-10, 18-19). And armed with these assurances, Jeremiah faced his foes and ran the race God called him to run.

Few are born to be athletic champions. Fewer still are born to be prophets of national repentance. But we were all born to be something. And believers especially must be sensitive to God’s purpose for their lives. ICR was born to study and proclaim the veracity of God’s Word—from Genesis to Revelation—and to disciple God’s people and strengthen their walk and witness for Him. God has equipped ICR for this purpose. We invite like-minded believers to join us. Feel His pleasure as we run the race until Christ returns.

* Mr. Morris is Director of Donor Relations at the Institute for Creation Research.

Cite this article: Henry M. Morris IV. 2021. Pleasure in Our Purpose. Acts & Facts. 50 (4).

The Latest
NEWS
A Subsurface Ocean on Mimas?
Scientists have analyzed data obtained from the Cassini spacecraft and concluded that irregularities in the orbit of Saturn’s moon Mimas indicate...

NEWS
In Theaters March 20 & 21: The Ark and the Darkness
Is Genesis true? What about Noah’s Flood? How did Noah fit the animals on the ark? Wasn’t it a local flood? Have you asked these questions? Though...

NEWS
Enigmatic Fossil Plants
The pre-Flood world thousands of years ago was unlike the world of today.1 Unfamiliar animals and plants were common, and there were a lot...

NEWS
Surprisingly Colorful Fossil Snail Shells
Finding organic compounds such as flexible dinosaur collagen and complete bone cells1,2 is becoming common, much to the shock and consternation...

NEWS
March 2024 ICR Wallpaper
"He is not here; for He is risen, as He said." (Matthew 28:6 NKJV) ICR March 2024 wallpaper is now available for mobile, tablet,...

CREATION PODCAST
Homo Erectus: The Shocking Truth About the "Ape Man"...
Homo erectus, or "Upright Man," has been upheld as a piece of mankind's "evolutionary history" since its discovery in 1891....

NEWS
Mystery of Moths' Warning Sound
Insects of all types continue to amaze entomologists with their design and physiology. Cleveland Hickman, Jr., et al. stated, “insect ears are...

NEWS
Geneticist Fired for Affirming Humans Once Lived 900 Years?
Geneticist Alexander Kudryavtsev, the head of the Russian Academy of Science’s Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, has been fired, reportedly...

ACTS & FACTS
Creation Kids: Solar Eclipses
Designed by Susan Windsor* You're never too young to be a creation scientist and explore our Creator's world. Kids, discover fun facts...

APOLOGETICS
Motmot's Beauty Displays God’s Gracious Design
Beauty is God’s good gift. Whatever is truly good and beautiful comes from God (James 1:17), whose own beauty is beyond words. King David longed...