A Devotional for Men: A New Life Has Begun

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

2 Corinthians 5:17, NLT

Pete Maravich was felled by a heart attack at only 40 years of age. "Pistol Pete" was a unique basketball player. Known for his phenomenal ball handling, uncanny passing, and deadly shooting, He set the college and pro basketball world on fire. He still owns a collegiate scoring record with 3,667 points in just 3 years, and he averaged 24.2 points a game during his 10 years as a pro. Through-the-legs dribbling, behind-the-back passing, 50-plus scoring, and floppy socks and hair were his trademarks. Just before his death, he finished his autobiography: Pistol Pete: Heir to a Dream. The book chronicles his love for basketball and his devoted practice as a youth. He would dribble the ball out the car window while his dad drove, and he would dribble blindfolded through the house. He even slept with the ball. The book tells of Pete's close relationship with his dad--and then of his own struggle with alcoholism and his mother's suicide. But the book also tells of Pete's conversion to Christ--a dramatic change for this sports superstar. In a newspaper interview published just weeks before he died, Pete said, "Jesus transformed my life. I don't want to put past tense on that because he continues to transform my life. I want to share that truth with people. I don't Bible-beat, I don't Bible thump anybody, because Christ is a choice. But I can tell people this. That it's the greatest life in the world. Your circumstances may not disappear, they may even get worse, but through him you can overcome." About his two sons he said, "Both of my boys, there's no doubt, have the talent that God's given them to play basketball. But for a different purpose, that purpose is to glorify God." Pete Maravich attained much in the world's eyes during his short life, but he said that nothing compared with knowing Christ. We who belong to Christ are new people! Pistol Pete's new life, as well as his death, should remind us of the truth of the often-quoted phrase, "Only one life--it will soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last." John 3:16-17