Saturday, December 21, 2019

S H A R I N G
Philippians 1:7

Teammates daily share such marvelous things as sweat and pain, meals and physical therapy, anguish and exhilaration.  Sometimes they even share trophies and championships.  Thus it’s only natural to develop strong feelings of affection for the people with whom you share such things.  Today’s scripture hammers this point home.

In Paul’s letter to the Philippians at chapter 1 and verse 7 he wrote, “It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.”  Paul felt this way for these people because of their mutual sharing in God’s grace.  We in sport share a number of other things as well.

We all share the pain of losing and the joy of winning.  We all experience the aches and pains of competition as well as the exhilaration of record setting performances.  These shared experiences build a special bond in our hearts for our teammates and coaches.  This bond is a mystery to those outside the team, but it’s a most valuable part of life for us who have our teammates in our hearts.

As you prepare for today’s competition, hold your teammates in your heart and fully grasp your affection for them.  Compete in a fully unified way as you all share the grace of God for your team.

Bible Reading Plan:
John 20:10-18
Revelation 18
Job 39
Haggai 1-2