Devotional Archive - December 2012
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December 06, 2012
Set:
Last summer at FCA Captain’s Camp, high school athletes were pushed to their mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual limits. Thankfully, my job was simple – I was the “Waterboy”. When I was a high school athlete, waterboys were often treated as the “least” important part of the team. They did the job no one else wanted to do.
But Jesus never views those who play a seemingly “small” role as unimportant. He never looked down on those who served behind the scenes or did the jobs nobody else wanted. In fact, Jesus flips that concept on its head. He says the least among us will be the greatest. Those we consider great – the best players, the best coaches – will only be considered great in God’s eyes if they serve like the Waterboy serves.
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December 05, 2012
Set:
After a game when one of my players did not follow my signal and steal second base, I went to talk with him: “I need second base; I don’t need a lead-off hitter to get to first. I need a lead-off hitter who can get to second. If you are telling me you can’t get to second, then I need to find another lead-off hitter.” “I’ll get you second base,” was the answer. “Good!”
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December 04, 2012
Set:
Referees have a tough assignment. They must keep the game going, uphold the rules, keep every participant safe, and make sure not to create an advantage for either side. It’s a monumental task, all the while facing unbelievable pressure from the stands. But, in the midst of all that goes on during a game, the primary job of a referee is to represent truth. Have you noticed that all referees make truth statements: “No catch…out of bounds…foul on you…off sides…touchdown…no good…time has expired.” They don’t have favorites, aren’t rooting for one team over the other, and are simply stating the truth as they see it. Once the whistle blows, one side likes the call while, inevitably, the other side doesn’t.
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December 03, 2012
Set:
Life demands toughness. I thought it was tough being a student. Then I got a real job. Tough! I thought it was tough playing in the NFL. Then I got married. Tough! I thought it was tough being married. Then I had kids.
Tough!
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December 03, 2012
Set:
I think there are two kinds of athletes, the humble and those who will be humbled. While an athlete needs to see the correlation between preparation and achievement, one must acknowledge, “every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17). This is why coaches may be more nervous coming off a big win than a tough loss. Athletes have a tendency to get an inflated view of themselves.
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December 02, 2012
Set:
As athletes and coaches, we have a tendency to dream big. We dream of championships and of finding success on the field or court. But sometimes we forget that we are already champions in Christ, and that God has big dreams for us of His own! Just what are some of those dreams?
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December 01, 2012
Set:
A Division I basketball school entered its conference tournament as the number eight seed, which meant a low probability of making it to the NCAA tournament. Despite the odds, they achieved that goal by knocking off the one-, two-, and four-seeded teams, thereby earning entry into the NCAA tournament. As one team member summarized, “We put it together when it counted most.” We all know that falling short of our expectations leads to disappointment both on and off the court. However, if we, like that eighth-seeded team, keep looking forward to even a small hope of success, we’ll often be glad we did.
