Before we dive in with the message of today’s devotion, I have to tell you a little secret. Ever want to know why runners often run on streets instead of using the perfectly good sidewalks that are just a few feet away? Great question! It’s actually because we know that paved surface is better for our joints than concrete sidewalks. We run on the roads because we know our bodies will appreciate the surface of the road more than the surface of the sidewalk.

I’ll never forget the first day of football camp at the small college I attended. I’d come hoping to be a part of a winning program and perhaps even a national championship. Our head coach had scheduled a team meeting. As he reviewed the goals, he pulled out the video of last year’s national championship—a game we had lost. I then expected him to share his plan on how we would make it back to the national championship game and win.

Instead, he did something I would never forget: he threw the video to the ground, stomped it to bits, and told us if our only dream was to win a national championship, then we had set our goals too low!

Hockey Chat: One on one isn’t much of a scoring threat.  Two on one creates a bit of worry for the goalie knowing that the odds are against him and the shot may come from either player.  Three on one is a nightmare for the goal tender and almost guaranteed to beat him. 

Have you ever wondered why we are so competitive as athletes and coaches? Why when we get onto the playing field we take on a whole new persona? The competitive nature to win comes out in us all. We sacrifice for the team! We lay down that bunt or make the block so that the rest of the team can rejoice in the victory.

Our flesh is competitive, but so is our Spirit. In Galatians 5, Paul talks about this very thing. Our flesh and our Spirit are at war with each other. The things of God are always and will always be completely different from the things of the flesh.