Read a Tennessee Volunteers Kids Excerpt

Read Philippians 3:10-14..

“The heavenly prize is Jesus himself.” (v. 33b).

Vol John Finlayson once received one of the strangest honors of all: He was named All-America by a farming magazine.

A tight end, Finlayson was a three-year starter for UT from 1999-2001. He was mostly used as a blocker.

All four seasons in Knoxville, Finlayson was Academic All-SEC. He never did much to call attention to himself. Many of his classmates never knew they were sitting next to the Vols’ starting tight end. “I kind of prefer it that way,” he said. “I like just being a regular student.”

Finlayson grew up on a farm near the Mississippi line. “We had hogs and cows and a few chickens,” he said. “I mostly worked at the farm supply store my parents owned.”

That agricultural background led to the All-American award from Successful Farming magazine. Fellow tight end Neil Johnson joked, “I told him that Field & Stream is going to name him All-American next week.”

Hey, we like awards, prizes, and honors, don’t we? A trophy from your baseball or softball team. A certificate for good grades or perfect attendance. A medal for something good you did. Isn’t it cool to have your picture in the paper?

We all like other people to notice when we have worked hard and have done a good job.

But you have to be real careful that you don’t start worshipping your prizes and bragging about them. That means they become idols.

The greatest prize of all won’t rust, fade, or collect dust. It’s the only one worth winning. It’s eternal life through Jesus Christ. God gives it to you free of charge just for trusting in Jesus.

Rank all the prizes you’ve won in order of how important they are to you. Compare each one to the prize of being a child of God for believing in Jesus.