December 7, 2020 - Make the Pass! (If that helps us score)

“We should enthusiastically be looking for OPPORTUNITIES to “get to the goal!” This is a quote from last week’s devotion… This was shared right before our annual post about “Giving Tuesday”… and lets be honest, every time “giving” comes into the equation there is some discomfort, and at times even disgust, as it seems there is always someone asking for something. 

Yet the post I put on about “Giving Tuesday” was a bit different than most… it actually used the concept of the “Triple Threat Position” in basketball… one where a player with the ball is in position to pass, dribble, or shoot… the post asked these questions: “What are you in position to do?” -and- “Are you ready to make a play?”

I often hear players described as either a “shoot-first” or a “pass-first” type of player… I could write a lot on just my thoughts about that type of description but I will keep it succinct… neither one is, in my opinion, the mark of a great player; I believe a great player is one that has a “score-first” mentality. You see the goal, is points for the team… and if the best option for doing that in the situation is to shoot, then by all means take the shot; if the best option is to create space, then by all means dribble; and if the best option is a teammate that is in better position to score, then by all means make the pass!

As stated last week, the same is true for us as the church… to score… the OBJECTIVE is to share the Gospel and teach the Word. And now that I have reviewed a bit, I want to actually share this week’s thought (and yes, I have many times been told I am long-winded… have even had players in the past make fun of me talking too much.) What I plan to do is take the next few weeks to break down the 3 parts of being a “triple threat,” which creates a “score-first” mentality.

This week lets talk passing… which involves not just the player with the ball, but also the teammates. If a player has ball-in-hand and teammates open, a decision must be made about who to pass it to; the answer is to pass to who gives the best OPPORTUNITY to score (which is the goal!) Maybe it is the teammate already set up in position to take the shot… or maybe to the teammate that is in position to create a lane to take the shot… BUT it does no good to pass to teammates that have no desire to get to the goal! (I can’t stand to watch a bunch of needless passes that get the team nowhere!)

So, one of the things I teach in basketball is to make sure you are in a ready position to not only receive a pass, but also to do something with it. There is a common rule of thumb that a shooter does most of his work to prepare for the shot before he ever gets the ball… (ie making the right cut… positioning the feet… etc.)

So, in order to avoid being too long-winded, let me make a couple of key points for the “passing game.”

1.       Be willing to share the ball with teammates that are in a better position to score than you… and there may be more than one option… so you have to choose which you feel gives the team the best chance to score…

2.       Be active in putting yourself in position… in good passing lanes to be able to receive the ball and score…

One more quick story to explain point number 2… I often hear players complain that they were open but not getting the pass. Sometimes that is true due to having a selfish teammate; yet often it is a result of being open but not being the best option. In my daughter’s game the other night she was doing something I have pointed out to her before, she was drifting into an open area that she felt was a good lane to score, yet was not in an available position for her teammates to make the pass. She was open but not visible… she needed to do better work in getting to open “passable” lanes… otherwise her teammates did not have the OPPORTUNITY to make the pass.

I shared that story to not only admonish us to be working to get open, but also to not be frustrated when “teammates” are asking you to “pass the ball.” At this time of year, you will have people “calling for the ball”…

1.       It may by your local church that needs funds to equip (set up) teammates to “score” – yes there are times that the church is the “scoring” option of sharing the Gospel… yet, it should always be the “scoring” option of teaching the Word… as often the Gospel should be handled by the individual team members as they are going through the “game of life”

2.       It may be ministry/missions organizations that “want the ball” (need help) – i.e. we at InBounds work very hard at putting ourselves in position to “score” and I try to make it visible to you, our teammates, to be able to “make a pass” to help… YET, I also know there are others that are positioning themselves to score as well… so as always, I cannot tell you where to “make the pass” but you need to look for what gives “the team” the best option to “score!” After all that is the OBJECTIVE… the GOAL!

This season of giving make sure to assist the team! At InBounds we value your prayers and your resources (if you feel we are the best option to “pass the ball” to!) And we realize that many care, but maybe are not in position to “make the pass”… lack OPPORTUNITY.

Paul said it this way when thanking the Philippians for their renewed giving to his ministry… Philippians 4:10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked OPPORTUNITY.