L E G A C Y

II Corinthians 3:2-3

Who are the coaches and players in your team’s history that are still impacting your lives today?  Take a moment to recall their names, their faces, their unique gifts and abilities.  They are a heritage for you, like a letter written to each of you to challenge and to encourage.

The Apostle Paul wrote these words in his second letter to his friends in Corinth, Greece at chapter 3 and verses 2 and 3, “You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody.  You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”  Paul’s friends were the living evidence of his passion for people and his love for God.  It’s similar for us.

Players are the evidence of a coach’s skill, passion and commitment.  They are the coach’s legacy, like a letter written on human hearts and bearing his/her signature.  Coaches love to tell the stories of their favorite players from the past.  They are letters known and read by everybody. The players who come through this program behind you will be your legacy.  Your lives, your commitment to sport, the stories shared about you will be a letter written to them.  It’s up to each of us to determine the content of that letter.

The stationery for these letters is most remarkable.  It’s far more durable than paper or even granite, it’s written on the hearts of players and coaches.  Their hearts are immortal and will permanently carry the legacy we leave with them.

As you prepare to compete today, I pray that this passage will encourage you to write the best lines of your legacy on the field of competition.

Bible Reading Plan:
Luke 24:1-12
Hebrews 11:32-40
Proverbs 28:15-28
Isaiah 54-55

A N X I E T Y

Proverbs 12:23

As we approach competition, anxiety and worry often burden us.  I’m sure you wonder how you’ll perform, how good your opponents are, how well we know the game plan and more.  While these are legitimate concerns, they can serve to hinder our performance as athletes.

In Proverbs chapter 12 and verse 23 we read, “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.”
Anxiety seems to coat our hearts with lead and turns our legs to limp spaghetti.  Suddenly, doubt, confusion and frustration weigh us down.  All these lead to a performance on the court that’s far less than our best.

There is also a great promise in this verse.  It says that a kind word cheers one up.  Encouragement is a powerful tool for the athlete.  A simple word, a kind expression, a well-timed compliment can put a charge into a teammate or a coach, thus lifting the weight he’d been carrying.

As you pray and prepare tonight, ask the Lord to help you see just the right moment to encourage your teammate who’s being assaulted by frustration, doubt or discouragement.  Your kind word could cheer him up and make a great difference in the competition.

Bible Reading Plan:
Luke 23:50-56
Hebrews 11:17-31
Proverbs 28:1-14
Isaiah 51-53

I N T I M I D A T I O N

Deuteronomy 28:10

Have you ever seen an athlete compete who seemed to be completely in his or her own league?  No one else in the game seemed to be 1/2 the player in comparison.  That happens at times on the field of competition, but sometimes it's not just about athletic abilities.  Sometimes we meet a person like Moses writes about.

In Moses' book called Deuteronomy at chapter 28 and verse 10 it says, "Then all the peoples on the earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you."  Moses knew that when these people honored God by their obedient attitudes and actions, they would be honored by God. 

It's God's way to have people who honor Him to be noticed and revered by those around them.  In some cases the identification with God's name even causes fear in people.  Don't be surprised if your team is now intimidating to some of your opponents... that's what Moses said would happen.

Compete with confidence and power.  You may even see some people being awestruck by the way your team plays.  Play with great heart and let the world watch in amazement!

Bible Reading Plan:
Luke 23:44-49
Hebrews 11:1-16
Proverbs 27:15-27
Isaiah 49-50

I N F L U E N C E

I Corinthians 3:6

Who has been the strongest influence on your athletic career?  Has there been more than one person who has made a significant impact in making you the player you've become?  Today's scripture speaks about compounded influence.

In Paul's first letter to his friends in Corinth at chapter 3 and verse 6, he writes, "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow."  Paul wrote in farming terms, we'll talk in athletic language.

Growing an athlete is like farming. In the growth process of a crop, there's the obvious collaboration between those who plant, cultivate, irrigate and harvest.   In athletics it's equally true.  In the growing of a champion, we see the compounding influences of parents, high school coaches, coaches from camps, teammates, opponents, college coaches and so on.

This is also true in the building of one's character spiritually.  Parents, teachers, pastors, priests and friends all walk beside us on the way to a rich life in Christ.

Let's honor our eternal architect in this day's competition.  Let's make each of our mentors and contributors proud through a great performance and outstanding character.

Bible Reading Plan:
Luke 23:38-43
Hebrews 10:19-39
Proverbs 27:1-14
Isaiah 46-48

C O M M I T M E N T

John 2:24-25

With whom are you more likely to spend some time in conversation after a hard fought game, the first-time spectator or the friends and family who have invested years of life and love into your career?  Seem like a silly question?  Many athletes act like they don’t know the answer. 

Jesus knew very well how to answer and in John chapter 2 at verses 24 and 25 we hear how He sees people.  “But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.” 

This simply means that Jesus stayed aloof from the uncommitted and shallow.  He would not commit Himself to those who just wanted a show.  He wouldn’t give the same time to the first-time ticket buyer at a game as He would those among the family who had committed themselves long ago.

It should be the same with us.  Don’t commit yourself to the first clown to come around wearing your team’s colors and screaming at ball games.  Be a little discerning.  Look around to see who is paying the dues of commitment, investing the years, driving the miles and shedding the tears for your life.  Those are the ones in whom you can deeply trust and to whom you’d be wise to commit your own life.

Make some commitments on the field of competition today.  Invest in your team, your coaches and your family. 

Bible Reading Plan:
Luke 23:32-37
Proverbs 26:17-28
Isaiah 44-45

H O N O R

Romans 12:10

What sort of person would be worthy of honor if he/she walked into this room right now?  A Hall of Fame player or coach?  The President?  The Pope?  How much do you honor your teammates?  How devoted are you to your team?

Paul writes about this idea to his friends in Rome at chapter 12 and verse 10, "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.  Honor one another above yourselves."  Paul challenged his friends with these words and I will do similarly today.

Here we're challenged to be devoted to our teammates like we're family.  Further, we're challenged to honor each other above ourselves.  Let's give the same level of honor to our teammates that we would to people of position and authority.  Let's sacrifice our preferences for the greater good of the team, the family.

In today's competition, devotion and preferential honor will lead to a great performance by our team.

Bible Reading Plan:
Hebrews 9:11-28
Proverbs 26:1-16
Isaiah 42-43

S P O R T

Proverbs 10:23

What do you do for sport?  I know guys who go fishing for sport, some hunt for sport, and some play golf.  What do you do?  Sport is the active pursuit of pleasure and fulfillment. 

In the book of Proverbs at chapter 10 and verse 23 we read, “Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool; and so is wisdom to a man of understanding.”

How could doing wickedness be like a sport?  Have you known any fools?  Lots of people I know seem to find great pleasure and fulfillment in activities that leave them with hangovers and social diseases.  They brag about doing foolish things in the same way you might boast about a career day of personal records and championships.  Fools find pleasure and fulfillment in things that dishonor God and ruin their lives.

The powerful message of this verse is that living wisely is equally pleasurable and fulfilling to the person of wisdom.  Doing things that honor God and serve others is like a sport to those who display wisdom.  A life of wisdom is not boring and passive; rather it’s full of power, activity and adventure, like a sport!

As you pray today, ask God to make you a person of wisdom and to make your life rich with pleasure and fulfillment. 

Bible Reading Plan:

Luke 23:13-25

Hebrews 9:1-10

Proverbs 25:15-28

Isaiah 40-41