February 22, 2021 - Get Busy! (Time To Roll Up Our Sleeves!)

In the last devotion there was a simple charge to “be ready” both "in season and out of season" (2 Timothy 4:12)… and I share that the word for season was not just about a series of events but could translate to any opportunity, thus meaning that we should be ready to take advantage of opportunities (being “in season”) AND to create opportunities (“out of season”).

There is a certain mentality that comes with being ready… it requires preparation, preparation leads to confidence, and confidence leads to jumping in and making things happen.

I love the story from the 1988 All-Star three-point shooting contest. Larry Bird won the event and never even took off his warm-up jacket; and it is rumored that before the start of the event he asked the other competitors, “so, who’s coming in second?”

I love that story, because I know that typically taking off the warm-ups is a sign that a player is ready to roll… it is the equivalent of a worker or a fighter rolling up his sleeves… (which is actually an old idiom from ancient Hebrews referring to getting ready to work.)

We have recently looked at Galatians 6, in the chapter it states that “each one should bear his own load.” (vs 5) This is simply a reminder that we should carry what weight we are able to carry… (earlier in the chapter we are reminded to help one another when that weight is too much.) We also have the mandate in 1 Corinthians 15 to be “always abounding in the work of the Lord.” (vs 58)

We are urged in Scripture to “take off the warm-ups” or to “roll up our sleeves” and get to work! So following up on the last devotion, being ready is part of the equation… that is the right attitude… now let’s put it into action and get busy!

On a side note: when God sees a need, He obviously goes into action… when He saw that man was fallen He immediately put into action the plan to redeem mankind through the sacrificial death and resurrection of His Son. In an early prophecy of that we see this beautiful picture of God:

Isaiah 52:9-10 Break forth into joy, sing together… For the Lord has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord has made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

A modern way of stating the beginning of verse 10 is that the Lord has rolled up His sleeves and got to work!!!

February 15, 2021 - Be Ready (Be Intentional)

“Be ready!”

When coaching basketball, one of the key things I try to emphasize in being in a ready position… I teach being in the right position to catch the ball… the right position to take the shot… the right position on the floor for a good shot… etc. The reason is that many times players are just running around and not necessarily putting themselves in an effective position/place to score.

This can be a simple adjustment… for instance, when I watch games/practices I often see players catch a ball on a fast break at a bad angle to finish the shot. That can be adjusted by learning to make straight cuts to the block instead of looping cuts to the baseline… thus leaving an angle to use the backboard.

My point is that the most effective players are intentional about being in a ready position…

Most Christians are willing to share their faith but not intentional about it. Most spend their lives making “looping cuts” that are not designed to put oneself in the best position to score.

My question/charge this week concerns your intentionality in the Gospel (the way we “score” as Christians)… Not only are you making direct cuts to opportunities to share the Gospel, but also are you “making the pass” (giving) to “teammates” that are truly in position to “score”?

The Apostle Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:1-2 - I charge you therefore before God… PREACH the WORD! BE READY in SEASON and OUT of SEASON.

The word “preach” is a word in the Greek that means be a herald… a proclaimer of what has been done… used of the public proclamation of the Gospel… as with guys like John the Baptist…

The word  “season” is used in our sports world for periods of time designed for games… but in the Greek it is not just about an extended period of time or series of events but can also mean for every OPPORTUNITY… thus not only the ones that are obvious, but also intentionally creating opportunities (out of season)! These verses are Paul coaching Timothy (and us) to “make straight cuts” to opportunities to share the Word… to proclaim the Gospel!

February 8, 2021 - Cheer On (Not Tear Down)!

Sitting in the stands as a fan is a much different experience for me than sitting on the sideline as a coach… or being in the game as a player. Fans are a funny breed… with many different personalities. And in our modern sports culture, many believe their job is to correct and critique, more than to cheer. They want to correct/critique referees… coaches… and even players… (And there are obviously times that players think their job is to correct/critique… and times that coaches forget to add correction to their critique…)

I have posted many times in these weekly devotions that my philosophy is “player play, coaches coach, refs ref, fans cheer!”

Recently at a game I listened to a fan berating a young referee and watched the referee start jawing back at the fan. After the game I put my arm around the referee and said, “young man, you are doing a fine job; you are consistent in your calls, and of course you will miss some… we are human. But as hard a this may be, don’t get sucked into the dialogue with the fans… just call the game… that is what you are getting paid to do.” (Side note: I don’t referee, even though I could make some decent part-time money doing so, because I’m not really good at doing what I told that referee to do. In fact, my first time reffing, I was in 8^th grade and reffing a 6^th grade game… and found myself jawing with some of the parents…)

Also, this weekend as we watched games my wife got some great laughs out of things said in the stands. When our girls were going through a rough stretch on the court, a fan yelled “let’s play basketball!” And of course, we wondered if he thought the girls got confused on what game they were playing. Another time, following a missed shot, that fan yelled “you’ve got to make those!”; as though the girl didn’t realize that was the objective…

So how could that fan, or a teammate, or a coach have done more good for the girl that missed the shot? I yelled, “that was a great lane you ran… keep taking those shots, they will fall!” (The coach can later teach better execution of the shot…)

I could go on with examples, but the reality is that sports, like life, involve of a lot of good intentions falling short, and sometimes involve folks just making dumb plays. We have a Scriptural mandate on how we are to respond to that…

Last week I shared from Galatians 6 about personal responsibility, yet the passage also has a mandate about teammate responsibility… Galatians 6:1 says, Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any TRESPASS, you who are spiritual, RESTORE such a one in a SPIRIT of GENTLENESS…

If you have followed this devotional blog for long, you know I love words! Not just writing/preaching a lot of them, but truly finding the meaning. In that passage, the word TRESPASS has the idea of someone that has fallen beside, or had a lapse or deviation from doing what is right… in such a case we are commanded to:

·         RESTORE – to strengthen, perfect, complete, make one what he ought to be

·         SPIRIT – the vital principal that guides our attitudes and actions

·         GENTLESNESS – mildness of disposition

Our goal should be restoration, not rebuke! Let’s look for opportunities to encourage and build up this week! Let’s cheer each other, not tear each other down!

February 1, 2021 - Better than me...

As of late we have been given opportunities to boost our athletic training portion of the ministry… the Total Player Academy. That, coupled with the opportunity to work with another academy… work some with my daughter’s team… etc.…, has got my mind questioning the purpose of training… the purpose of getting better… 

The most obvious answer to those questions, is for success on the court/field. Our academy motto is “get schooled now so… you won’t get schooled later!” Yet, a major part of training properly and succeeding is rooted in proper motivation and perspective.

For time sake let me sum this up before we look at the Biblical component of this. Athletics are typically evaluated by comparisons… comparisons of who scored the most… who had the most wins… who runs the fastest… jumps the highest… throws the hardest… etc.

And I have used some of the great motivational lines in the past… “There’s someone out there working harder than you…” “Everyone has the will to win, but few the will to prepare to win…” etc. The problem with those sentiments is they are hypotheticals; probably a much stronger motivator is the guy or gal that just kicked your butt…

So, I penned a new maxim recently that goes along with our training philosophy in athletics (and in life): If your are better than me, then obviously the only way I can beat you is if I get better than me!”

That is not a typo! We need to get to a point that we evaluate based upon each day seeing improvement personally. If a player leaves the gym the same as he went in (content), then he has failed. The key is personal examination… Strengths? Weaknesses?

The Scriptures give the same mandate in Galatians 6. I love the way The Message paraphrase shares verses 4-5: “Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.”

And ultimately, whether it be athletics, academics, work, whatever… the best motivation for being the best me I can be is honoring the Lord! Colossians 3:22-25 (The Message)

“Servants (team members, students, employees, family members),... don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God… Keep in mind that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. The sullen servant that does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work.”

Next week I plan to point out another great reminder from the passage in Galatians…