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Jeremy Lin, the NBA’s first Chinese American, has skyrocketed in popularity since signing with the Golden State Warriors last July, winning the love of Chinese Americans and Taiwanese NBA fans. In his nearly one-year NBA career, he experienced successes and failures, glory and humiliation, and finally overcame the dark valley by faith, regained his strength, and truly understood the truth of life: to live for the rewards of heaven.

The ups and downs of an NBA career

Amid a round of applause and cheers, Jeremy, the tall man standing on the stage, had no pride and shared his faith and career in the NBA for nearly a year as a Christian brother.

Jeremy said when he signed with the Golden State Warriors last year, he felt as if his life had changed overnight. He felt as if he was standing above the whole world, and for a while, the media rushed to interview him. At first, he found it cool, fun, and confident to face the challenges of the NBA. However, after the start of the NBA training camp, he quickly collapsed. In training camp, Jeremy didn’t play very well, not even as good as many non-NBA players. Although the coach kept encouraging him, he had lost confidence in himself. He specifically mentioned that he had only scored 10 points in a group match at the end of December last year.

He was full of pressure on himself, fearing that he would be kicked out for poor performance on the day of the elimination deadline on January 21. He was even more worried about not knowing how to deal with his family and friends who had always supported him. That night, he stayed up all night and wrote this sentence in his diary: “This is probably the last time in my life when I was depressed, I lost confidence on the court, basketball was no longer fun for me, and I didn’t want to participate in any group tournaments anymore.” On the day of the elimination deadline on Jan. 21, Jeremy wrote, “I wish I had never signed with the Golden State Warriors.”

Jeremy laughs and says that looking back now he thinks he was crazy, but that’s exactly how he was at the time. The pressure he put on himself has become too much for him to bear, and he has lost the joy, enthusiasm, and purpose of playing basketball. The high treatment, prestige, and ambitions that NBA stars have no longer make sense to him.

Trust in God and regain your strength

At the very moment when Jeremy was on the verge of collapse, God’s Word awakened his spirit, made him see the gap in his life, and turned his eyes to God again.

“It dawned on me that basketball had become my idol,” Jeremy said. Basketball became so important to me that it even became the first in my life. That’s why basketball consumes his joy. When his joy is based on how well he plays basketball, his emotions fluctuate dramatically. Jeremy uttered an inner cry: “I began to realize that I needed to trust God. ”

Growing up in a Christian family, Jeremy went to church from an early age, but he confessed that he was the worst child he could be, and even tried to make his Sunday school teacher cry. It wasn’t until he joined the Church’s youth fellowship in the ninth grade that his faith began to mature and he was baptized. Even so, at that time, he only knew in his head that he had to “trust God”, but it was still very difficult to put it into practice in his life. During the low point of his NBA training, Jeremy reflected on the footprints God had left in his life and realized how unreasonable it was not to “trust God.”

Jeremy began documenting the series of miraculous leads of God in his life that led him to the path to becoming a professional player in the NBA. First of all, his parents and two brothers are very ordinary, and he is the only one in the family who has a height of 1.91 meters, it is because of this unique figure that he can be selected for the NBA. Although his two brothers enjoyed basketball as much as he did, the school coach appreciated his performance and nurtured him as a mentor and friend. In addition, when choosing a university, although Jeremy initially missed the opportunity to enroll in Stanford University, which he had been dreaming of for a long time, he was fortunate to receive an invitation to Harvard University under God’s guidance. Jeremy is thankful to God for the excellent platform and resources at Harvard University that have allowed him to rise to the level of an NBA player. After becoming a professional footballer, Jeremy also found a Christian golf friend who loved Christ and worked with him to support each other spiritually between games.

Jeremy describes, “None of them are directly controlled by my power, and all these things and people in my life are blessings from God. With this in mind, every time he was about to lose hope and faith in God, he reminded himself of the work God had done for him.

Pursue the rewards of heaven

During the NBA group game, a pastor encouraged Jeremy to spend an hour a day to draw close to God. As he tried to do obediently as the pastor had taught, his life was greatly renewed by God’s Word.

“Do you not know that those who race on the field run, but only one person gets the prize, so that you may also run in the same way, that you may receive the reward? All who strive to win have moderation in all things, but they want a perishable crown, but we want a crown that cannot be broken” (1 Corinthians 9:24–25)

Jeremy says that this passage in 1 Corinthians had a profound impact on him and made him change his outlook on life. “I used to play basketball for the ‘Bad Crown,’ and I’ve always played for good games, good scores, glory for the Golden State Warriors, contract extensions, and other people’s expectations, and I’ve played for myself. ”

“Hold fast to the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14)

This passage in Philippians is also a wake-up call for Jeremy. In Christ Jesus there is a “prize from above,” which is to enjoy eternal presence with Jesus Christ. “I have learned that the true reward we are seeking is in heaven. Jeremy testifies, “The reward that the apostle Paul refers to in 1 Corinthians is the eternal reward for which he lived so that his life became meaningful.” I’ve learned that I should stop chasing bad crowns and personal glory. I want to learn to put my best foot forward to God and commit the results to God. I want to learn to trust in His grace, in His great and perfect plan. I’m going to learn to give God all my thoughts, my desires, my dreams, and pray, ‘God, I’m going to do my best to play for you, and I’ll give you the results.'” Jeremy prayed from the bottom of his heart, and his spirit was set free, and his performance on the pitch improved greatly, scoring an unprecedented number of points in a short period, and successfully passing the test of the group stage.

Jeremy said that the past year in the NBA has indeed been a fun, fun, and dream life for him, and he knows that it is also a dream for many people. Fly around the United States on a private jet with your teammates, eat and drink, and have a lot of entertainment. But now Jeremy has seen through this worldly life, and wants to tell all young people that “these things can only give you short-term happiness, but not eternal joy.” ”

An appeal to unbelievers and Christians

Jeremy asks questions of unbelievers and former believers, challenging them to reflect on the meaning of life. He said to his unbelieving friends, “I invite you to come and see for yourself what you are living for.” Are you looking for something that will perish or a crown of heaven? What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you wake up every day? Is it your studies, is it money, is it a job, is it a video game, is it pornography, is it a girlfriend?”

He encouraged unbelievers not to give up the opportunity to know God and leave, but to know God well and not to become Christians right away. He hopes that every seeker will find that God’s salvation, God’s plan, eternal peace, and joy await them.

At the same time, Jeremy exhorted his brothers and sisters in Christ to check if they had put God first in their lives. Just like he used to be, even if he knew God but didn’t put Him first in his life, he would easily fall. Jeremy also advises every Christian to stay close to God every day, take the initiative to spread the gospel to those around them, give generously to those in need, and have the courage to show love to those who love.