Devotional
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May 08, 2009
Set:
Yesterday, we talked about hope. And we used words that can actually serve as an acronym for the word itself: H – history, O – optimism, P – Promise, E - Eager Expectation.
Knowing what Christian hope is can be a great thing. But what should it produce in us? In the sports world, hope is necessary in spurring a team to do great things. Without hope, why would we as athletes endure what we do? If we cannot achieve our goals, why would we endure the hardship of preseason training? Why would we waste hours studying film, learning our skills, pushing our bodies beyond what we thought possible? Why would we choose to follow a game-plan if we knew it was going to fail? The truth for most of us is that we wouldn't.
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May 08, 2009
Set:
Thirty-three years later there is still evidence that my front tooth took a chunk of wood out of my mom’s furniture. When my two older brothers and I were kids, we invented a game called “Walkie-Talkie.” I know a walkie-talkie is a portable, handheld communication device, but we hijacked the name because it perfectly fit our game. When I think back on it, I’m pretty sure it was really just a game that allowed my brothers to inflict bodily harm on me, but I wasn’t smart enough to figure that out. I was just thankful they wanted to do something with their youngest brother. (Do I hear an “Amen!” from all the youngest kids out there?)
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May 08, 2009
Set:
As athletes we have good days and bad. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. I like winning better. Enough losses in a row and any of us can get a little down. So how do we maintain a joyful life? The Bible provides some answers. In Paul’s first letter to Thessalonica, he wrote three directives and one reason combining to show us the way to a joyful life:
Rejoice always: More than a command, this reassures us that we can find something to be joyful about in every circumstance. Lead with our will, and let our emotions follow.
Pray constantly: If taken seriously, we’d never sleep, eat, or study—probably not what he meant. Surely he meant there is never a situation in which prayer is not proper and powerful.
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May 07, 2009
Set:
I have a patch with the IronMan Triathlon symbol in the center. Around the outside it reads, “If you have to ask, you wouldn’t understand.” There’s a certain truth to that statement. I know; I’ve asked. I did one, and now I know. But it is something you can’t understand until you have been there and had a chance to look at it from the other side of the mirror, so to speak.
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May 07, 2009
Set:
My morning run had been a battle of both mind and body. It had been incredibly cold outside--below freezing--and being pre-dawn, it wasn't the best time of day for speed work. I'd been frustrated for most of the way, asking my muscles to wake up and run faster when all they wanted to do was go back to bed.
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May 05, 2009
Set:
Our lives are strengthened when we focus on that which gives us strength. As a pitching coach, three words often come out of my mouth: use your eyes. The theory is that our eyes tell our body where to release the ball. Thus, by focusing on a target, we are more likely to hit it. There is much to think about and many distractions as a pitcher, just as in our daily lives. However, like a pitcher, if we put our whole focus on our target, we no longer have any room to focus on distractions.
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May 04, 2009
Set:
To humble ourselves under God means to be subject to Him. Because we can’t see Him, we forget He is watching. Sometimes we can’t hear Him, so we forget He is speaking. We can’t always feel Him, so we forget He never leaves or forsakes us. Just because we can’t always see, hear, or touch God doesn’t mean He isn’t mighty. He is able to destroy entire nations if He desires, as is often illustrated in the Old Testament. God is all-powerful. When we live in accordance to His will, we will experience His abundant blessings. As 1 Peter 5:6 states, He will exalt us in due time if we remain humble to Him.
How can we humble ourselves under God? We can start by listening to His advice, searching His Word, and spending time with Him.
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May 02, 2009
Set:
Ever notice how easy it is to stop a treadmill? All you have to do is press the “stop” button. It’s right there in the center of the panel in bright red. It’s genius! But that simple red button is also a glaring source of temptation. It begs to be pushed when the run gets too long, the legs get heavy, or the mind gets bored. In fact, that tiny button can do major damage to a training program if we give in to the temptation to push it.
Every day, we as Christians face temptations from the enemy. Generally, he doesn’t waste time hiding them from us. He throws them right in our faces—kind of like red stop buttons in the middle of our running path with Christ.
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April 29, 2009
Set:
If you listen to people, being thankful is not a very common attitude. They complain about their classes, their jobs, their practice schedules, their parents (or kids), their friends, the weather, their teammates, and on and on it goes. In the world, it is easy to complain because everybody does it. Yet, as followers of Jesus, we are called to be thankful. That is no easy task when everyone around us is doing the opposite. It is just easier to fall in with them and do the same thing.
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April 28, 2009
Set:
Michael has the potential to be a good player, but he gets so frustrated with his game. He doesn’t understand why his coach always wants him to change his shot and other parts of his game. Finally, he had a talk with his coach. Suddenly things became clear to him, and his improvement took off. His coach simply told Michael what he needed to do in order to get better and how those changes would help him in years to come.
