Hope"God, fill them with all hope, joy and peace that they may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit..."
-- Romans 15:13
READY: "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation." -1 Peter 2:2
SET: Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi once said, "Winning means you're willing to go longer, work harder and give more than anyone else." To reach ultimate success in sports athletes must realize that there is always room for improvement and that the harder they work, the more successful they will become. Understanding that there is room for improvement doesn't seem to be a problem for most athletes. If they are serious about their sport, they are usually willing to put in the extra hours of training. Shouldn’t it be the same way for us as Christians? It should, but it often isn’t. Many times we don't consider that we have room for improvement. I believe the biggest reason we think this way is because we want to think we're already where we need to be. We think we've already done enough. The truth is, however, that we can never do enough in comparison with what God has done for us. With that in mind, should we not be more motivated to improve ourselves for Christ than to improve ourselves athletically? To get to that point, we need to humble ourselves and realize that we're not where we need to be. We need to stop being content with where we are and realize that we can't do it on our own. We need to work out with God just like we do with sports so that we can grow spiritually. I love the song, "I'm Not Alright" by Sanctus Real. If you have a chance today, check it out. Because the truth is, not one of us is "alright." And that’s precisely why we need Christ.
GO:
1. Does your spiritual life ever get stagnant? What can you do to keep that from happening?
2. Do you invest as much time in improving your relationship with the Lord as you do in improving your athletic skills?
3. What needs to change? How will you take action?
WORKOUT:
1 Corinthians 3:62
Corinthians 10:15
Ephesians 4:15
