August 26, 2019 - Cleary give direction...

Since my time as a student at Florida Bible College, I have understood the importance of CLARITY! As a minister/teacher/coach/trainer, the greatest compliment I can hear is that I made things simple… or clear…


For instance, when I am doing a basketball clinic, I will typically sit players down and go through very basic FUNdaMENTALs of ball handling… i.e. that the ball is full of air, which causes it to bounce, therefore one doesn’t have to “beat it up” to dribble it (I’m sure you have seen the little kids playing basketball and slapping it all over the place to try and dribble it)… but instead just use the fingertips to direct it... there’s really not any work involved in dribbling a basketball. I know this is a “duh” statement, but the point is to let the air do its job…


I am currently working on our ministry’s (and my) vision for 2020… as each year winds down, my job is to cast clear direction for our board… for our volunteers… and for my scheduling purposes. (Be on the lookout for our Fall InBounds Illustrated newscast coming in the near future.)


But this week’s devotion is not about planning or scheduling, but about sharing the truth clearly… The Apostle Paul ran into issues of teachers and ministers (and even other apostles) that were adding to the Gospel presentation.


Paul went to great lengths to defend the clarity of the Gospel! He emphasized the free gift of God… the fact that salvation is not about what we do for God, but instead what He has done for us. (He still taught holiness, but not for the purpose of gaining salvation.)


Some folks claim that to teach the Gospel as being just about belief (faith) in what Christ has done is to cheapen salvation. Two problems with their argument… the word grace has the implication in its definition of something that is free… and second, to claim something is cheap, means that the person claiming it has affixed a cost to salvation. (Cheap, by definition, means “low in cost or something that is worth more than it cost.”) IN other words, if someone says that salvation is more than believing in the finished work of Christ, he has affixed a cost… has eliminated grace from the picture.


Galatians 2:21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.


Romans 4:4-5 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.


Please remember to be clear in your Gospel presentations… this is vital not only in our presentations, but also for when we look in the mirror and feel unworthy… it is because we are unworthy… but Jesus is worthy… thank God for GRACE!


In ball handling I emphasize letting the air do its job… in salvation, let Jesus do His (it did cost Him)!

August 19, 2019 - Roster Spots (Who deserves it?)

I am very old school in my thinking when it comes to sports… I will admit that I don’t think everyone should make the team… I will admit I believe in making cuts… I will admit that I don’t think everyone should get a trophy…


A few years ago, as I prepared for an upcoming season of coaching my daughter’s middle school team, I was hit with the prospect of possibly 15 or more girls trying out (between the ages of 5^th and 8^th grade.) This, in my mind, was entirely too many girls to carry on a roster… entirely too many girls to create meaningful practices… entirely too many girls to give playing time to… It should require hard work… players should meet expectations…


That is the way many of us are programmed to think… that we need to earn or deserve what we get… that we need to deserve to stay on the team… that our performance is the basis for our spot on the roster…


That is unfortunately how many view the idea of Christianity. I was speaking with one of our staff members today and he mentioned a conversation he had with a colleague (at a Christian ministry) about the Gospel. When our staff member stated that the Scriptures simply call a man to “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ” to be saved (Acts 16:31); to which his colleague replied, “It can’t be that simple.”


The Gospel is not that everyone makes the team… but instead “whosoever believes” (John 3) makes the team… (therefore everyone has the option of “signing up”)… it is not based on any of us deserving to get it or maintain it (Ephesians 2:8-9)… making / being on the team is entirely based upon what Jesus has done for us, not what we do for Him!


Even though it goes against my coaching/athletic tendencies, NO ONE deserves to be on the team or stay on the team… we “all fall short” (Romans 3:23) but He stands tall! Just a reminder to be clear that salvation is “by grace through faith, not of yourselves, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)


But a side note: I still don’t believe everyone gets trophies (rewards); the Scriptures are clear that being on the team has nothing to do with us deserving it… but gaining rewards are based upon faithfulness!

August 12, 2019 - I Even Loved Going To Practice!

When I was still playing ball I always loved going to practice, and of course to games; and that included any sport I was in. I just loved the thrill of getting better… the thrill of competing. Despite the hard work that was put in… despite times things weren’t going well… I didn’t dread it… I looked forward to it.


There is an old saying that I have heard many times, “Find a job you love, and you won’t work a day in your life.” That is a fine sentiment, and I understand it… yet the reality is that work is not always pleasant… things at times go wrong… somedays you just don’t feel like being there.


I read a different line when I looked up the previous old saying… it was on a site called worklifebalance.com and it said: “Much has been touted about how important it is to find a job you love… But you don’t have to love, or even like your overall job to enjoy everyday aspects of it. It is critical to distinguish between the job and the way you do it. This is important because every job has aspects that will be unpleasant for you.”


I love that perspective but would add to it that it is not just “the way you do it” but also the why.


My dad worked 37 years in a factory not because of his love for that concrete jungle but because he was motivated to provide for our family and the old belief that it a job didn’t have to be something you loved but something to help you honor those you love.


It is truly a Biblical concept. Our work should be excellent because of the why… I loved sports; therefore, I enjoyed the work! Note, I didn’t say I always loved the work.


For the believer we should be great workers… everything we do should be motivated by our love for God… to honor Him! 


Colossians 3:23-24 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men… for you serve the Lord Christ.”


I wrote about this a few years back when I coined the phrase “Do Worthy Work!” for a basketball team I was coaching. The job might be tough right now… the start of school may be tough right now… relationships may be tough right now… BUT you will be motivated to stay the course and to excel when you remember that you are doing it unto the Lord!

August 5, 2019 - "I Cost Us The Game"

Imagine a game where a player goes to the line with no time left on the clock… down by a point… and misses two free throws… That player, and maybe even some of the fans, will probably feel like he lost the game for the team… What if the player went up to the coach and said, “I cost us the game!”, and the coach responded, “You’re right!” (and maybe added to it all the other things the player had done wrong that game)?


No decent coach would ever dream  of being so crass. A coach may later work on some free throws with the player, but at the time would remind him that as a team, they all made mistakes that could have changed the outcome. The coach would want to encourage and motivate the player…


Being a coach… a counselor… a family member… or even just a good friend requires some tact…


This came to my mind as we wound down on our tour last night with a worship service in Alabama. The service was for Celebrate Recovery and we had an incredible time together; it was a room full of people with hurts, habits, and hang-ups… yet a people that knew they could come clean about those hurts without fear of being put down. My daughter shared a spoken word she wrote while battling her depression… the main testimony of the night was a lady sharing her story of depression and addiction to the meds… in spite of being a room full of people in need, it was a beautiful and encouraging night.


Along with that, we have dealt with others that are hurting badly… even in our own family. The battles are real! Yet, as I was driving home today, I kept thinking of a line in the book “What’s So Amazing About Grace?” (Philip Yancey), where a lady was asked if she had ever turned to the church for help. The best I can remember, her answer was something like, “Church, why would I go there? I already feel bad enough about myself!”


Whether it be in the church body, or even in our personal relationships, I think we too easily forget that one of our “duties” we are charged with as believers is to comfort others.


2 Corinthians 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.


Here’s how Pastor Peterson put it in The Message: All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! HE comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, He brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of His healing comfort – we get a full measure of that, too.


Be there for someone today!