What does it mean to compete for God’s glory?

Sukhee Sengedorji, the director of Athletes in Action Mongolia, said it this way: “[God] made our bodies so that when we play, we can bring the glory to God.”

Since God created us, anything we do with our bodies is intended to be an act of worship to our Creator.

When Sukhee became a Christian, he thought that he had to give up being a wrestler in order to live a life pleasing to God.

“Nobody taught me that I can give glory to God when I’m on the mat,” he said. “I thought if I want to bring glory to God I can only be at church or in Bible study.”

God doesn’t want us to put our life passions aside so we only worship Him in a church building. No, He created us uniquely so that we can glorify Him in any setting — on a sports field, in the classroom, at the workplace.

When athletes understand that God created sport so they can experience Him in worship, they experience true joy. This joy leads to freedom in competition, as athletes understand that their purpose is to point teammates and opponents to Him. They are free to be who God created them to be and can still compete with high intensity.

Now that Sukhee is living in the freedom of how God created him, God is using his life to completely change the spiritual landscape of his whole country.

Hundreds of AIA Frontline staff members, like Sukhee, are changing their communities and countries by bringing the good news of Jesus to athletes, coaches and sports administrators.