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“Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world…everything that belongs to the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s lifestyle—is not from the Father, but is from the world.” – 1 John 2:15-16
This summer I had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Haiti with a group from my church. While the trip was an outstanding time of ministry and connection with God, I did have one challenge: the food. It wasn’t even close to my normal diet!
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” – Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV)
The Olympic Games are so inspiring to me. There’s something incredible about the Olympic Spirit—the athletes’ internal quest for greatness and their desire to push themselves—body, mind and soul—to the limit.
When it comes to food, I’m amazed at how many times I’ll think I’ll be eating the right thing, only to find out I’m wrong. Eggs are bad—no, eggs are good. Butter is bad—no, butter is better. Fat is bad—no, the right fats are good. And on and on it goes.
Sometimes we can get by with this and not suffer any major consequences, but often not getting it right can have serious side-effects.
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” – Matthew 13:44 (NIV)
When my wife asks me to go to the grocery store for “just a few things,” I know I’m probably in for a long day. On those days, you’ll find me searching aisle by aisle and, more often than not, on the phone asking her for help. It’s similar to when she tells me to look for something in her purse. I don’t even make an attempt. I’ve learned it’s much faster to just get the purse and bring it to her.
If you’ve never seen the movie Secondhand Lions, don’t read the next paragraph. I’m about to spoil the ending.
At the end of the movie, the film’s two wildly adventurous uncles have died in an attempt to fly their biplane upside-down through their barn door. When the local sheriff breaks the news to their nephew, Walter, the sheriff says, “They had a good, long run. They went out with their boots on.” A young boy who had heard stories of the uncles’ adventures turns to Walter and asks, “They really lived?” His response: “Yeah. They really lived!”
America has the biggest obesity problem in the world. And as we export our Western diet to other nations around the globe, we also are exporting our weighty results. Just like in the States, other countries are experiencing growing obesity and the chronic health problems associated with it.
“...I do not run like one who runs aimlessly…Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” - 1 Corinthians 9:26-27
“Living without a purpose and a plan is like sailing a ship without a rudder—you’ll float aimlessly in circles and go nowhere.” – Unknown
Don’t you just love that quote? Personally, I believe it paints a great word picture for life, especially as it pertains to our physical health.
In sports, as coaches and athletes, we know that we have to take one game at a time. When a game is over, win or lose, we have to put it behind us, learn what we can and move on. The same is true in all aspects of life. In Philippians 3, Paul tells us to forget the past and press on toward what is ahead. In Matthew 6:34, Jesus flat-out tells us, “Don’t worry about tomorrow.” From these two passages I believe we can take three important lessons—ones that will help us to walk in victory and “win” each day of our lives
Earlier this season, I took my middle school baseball team to practice with the high school varsity. It was good for my kids to practice on a higher level and to see how high school differs from middle school. At the end of practice the varsity coach gave them a "pep talk" about life and baseball using five key points of competition. While I had used some of the same points in my own speeches, I found that they captured my attention in a new way when I heard them from another coach and saw how they got the attention of the kids. The points that this coach made would work for any sport, and they also translate well to our spiritual lives.
As the Competitor’s Creed states, your desire as an athlete is to “compete for the pleasure of [your] Heavenly Father, the honor of Christ and the reputation of the Holy Spirit.” That is truly competing with a spiritual focus, not a physical focus.
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