"Last Longer"

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Philippians 3:12

Tonight we will play in the semifinal game of the State Championship. I have been blessed to have been a part of these games for several years and I never take these moments for granted. The semifinal game is traditionally the most physical and closely contested game of the playoffs, and tonight should be no different. I have been thinking all week about what to say to my guys in the moments before kickoff. I try to have something to say to them after all the other voices have stopped and it is just me and my guys waiting for the game to begin. Sometimes I have a joke to lessen the tension I can sense in their minds and sometimes I just remind them that I love them and how proud I am to be their coach.

Tonight I am going to say two simple words that I hope will help them through tonight’s game but, more important, will help them through the trials they will face in their lives. We will be in the locker room before the game and I always get a few minutes to talk to them. My words for the boys tonight will be to “Last Longer”. I want them to fully expect tonight’s game to be a physical, down to the wire, slugfest. I want them to know that for our team to win they will have to play harder, endure more discomfort, fight the urge to lose hope, and last longer. I know the boys from both teams will play hard but which ones will play hard longer? Which team will play hard and outlast their opponent?

I hope this is also something my guys will carry with them throughout their lives. When they get to college and life is not quite as exciting as they thought and they begin to doubt their future I pray they will last longer. There will be a day coming for them when their wife will be sick, the baby will be crying, they will be exhausted from work but I pray they will last longer. One day they will have an ill parent and they will be consumed with worry and I pray they will last longer.

I believe God expects us to last longer. When Paul wrote the verses from Philippians he was sitting in a prison in Rome. He was at a low point in his life but he knew it was a step toward reaching what he knew God had for him. We will also be faced with those moments when our minds are filled with worry about our future or the health of a loved one while our bodies are exhausted. I pray that we also will last longer.

Chad

A sheep among the wolves

Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.  Luke 10:3

I have always had a bit of a fascination with wolves. I love to see pictures of wolves, read quotes about wolves, and wish I could have one as a pet, if he would agree to not eat me! I have a few favorite wolf quotes that I have always liked. One of them is, “The tiger and the lion may be more powerful, but the wolf does not perform in the circus”. Another is, “Be the Alpha wolf among all the copy cats”. I have always liked, “It never troubles the wolf how many the sheep may be”. My newest wolf quote is, “Everyone wants to be a wolf until it’s time to do what wolves do”. I think I like wolves because they are cool looking and they are mysterious. A wolf may be beautiful, but he is far from being soft. He may appear to be gentle, but can quickly become ferocious. And, he is equally fierce when alone as he is when among the pack.

We can probably learn a few things from the wolf but throughout scripture God instructs us to be like sheep. We are also told to be aware of the false prophets who come to us in sheep’s clothing but inwardly they are fierce wolves.

Why would He consistently tell us to be like sheep, when the wolf is so much stronger, independent, and fierce. Why doesn’t He want us to be fierce when confronting wrongdoing in the world and why does He not want us to gain all our strength from the pack? After all, everyone is afraid of a pack of wolves but nobody runs from a herd of sheep. However, if you look closely at the sheep you will notice some characteristics that are much like humans. They are stubborn animals who are prone to stray towards anything that draws their attention. They are also very unpredictable and demanding animals who are totally dependent on humans for food and protection. But in God’s eyes, sheep are special. In Matthew 18:10-14 Jesus tells a story of a man who owned 100 sheep but one of them wandered away and was lost. Jesus says the man left the ninety-nine and searched for the one that was lost and rejoiced when it was found. We are special to Him! In Matthew 9, Jesus says as He traveled through the villages and towns and saw the people, He had pity on them because, “They were like sheep without a shepherd”. He wants to be our shepherd! And, most important of all, in John 10:14-15 He tells us that Jesus is the good shepherd and the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep and the sheep know Him.

A sheep may not realize it but he is totally dependent on humans for survival. He needs a human to provide a pasture to graze, a watchful eye while he rests, and a sheep will search for the comfort of a human when in pain. Sounds very much like us doesn’t it? I prayed today and asked God to be my Good Shepherd. Though the wolf may be more ferocious, the sheep lives safely under the shepherd’s constant watch.

Chad

Our Help

My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:2

The game of football has been called the greatest team sport and I believe it is totally true. Of course I am a bit biased but let me explain why I feel this way about the game of football. First, it is the only sport that has a position that will never be in the record book. The running back can run for hundreds of yards and the quarterback can throw for thousands of yards, but the offensive lineman’s name will never appear in the record book. They will spend several years doing their jobs for others to receive the glory. Second, the game of football allows a young man to prove to himself that he is mentally tough enough to overcome challenges while also exposing some weaknesses that he must improve. Third, and maybe the most important, a young man on a football team must learn to trust his teammates and to be trusted himself. In order for a team to successfully execute a play, score a touchdown, and ultimately win a game, the team members must depend on one another for help. When teaching my offensive linemen I often ask a very simple question of them. I will say, “Where is your help coming from?” They must know where their help is coming from and if they can trust the young man aligned beside them. If one player does not trust the other, he will try to do the job alone, and fail. He must learn through long days of practice that he can depend on his teammate to always be his helper regardless of the difficulty of their job or how they may feel at the moment.

As members of families, companies, and teams we must learn who we can depend on for help. Who can you depend on to help in any situation, regardless of the difficulty? And, even more important, can others depend on you? It is important in life to know where our help is coming from. If faced with a critical decision, who is the person you can go to for sound advice? You may not like what they say, but you know they are trying and willing to help.

Most bible scholars believe David wrote Psalm 121, however they disagree on why it was written. Some call this the soldier’s Psalm because they believe David wrote this Psalm while he was in a camp preparing for battle. Others call this the traveler’s Psalm because they believe it was written to encourage the Israelites who were travelling to Jerusalem to worship. Regardless of David’s intentions for writing this Psalm, we are all travelers, with our final destination being Heaven, and we are also all in a battle or preparing for a battle.

As I read through all eight verses of Psalm 121 I began to replace the words “you” or “your” with “me” or “my” and it became much more personal. Go to Psalm 121 today and, as you read,replace the words, “you” or “your” with your parent's name, your sibling's name, your spouse's name, a friend's name. It makes the verse even more special when you add your name, a family member’s name, or the name of a friend. 

"Wronged"

The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? 1st Corinthians 6:7

I was driving home last night and heard a commercial on the radio. It was a commercial for one of those law firms that chases ambulances and, as the speaker says, helps people who have been “wronged”. The speaker goes on to say, “Have you been wronged? Have you been in an accident with a truck? Have you slipped and fallen? Let us help you get what you deserve”. I don’t like these commercials and, although I respect good lawyers, I have zero respect for these types of lawyers.

I think we have a misconception of being “wronged” in our world today. Fake slipping on a wet floor in the grocery store is not being “wronged” and I don’t believe people who drive big trucks are roaming the highways looking for innocent people to run over. We have made it too easy in our society to gain financially from a minor slip on a wet floor, a bump on the head, or a fender bender. We have also convinced ourselves as people that we deserve financial restitution for the slightest inconvenience. We have allowed our society to view a humorous tumble or a careless driving mistake as a pay day instead of an unfortunate moment in our lives. And, as a Christian, I know that we do not want what we really deserve.

In 1st Corinthians 6, Paul is talking to the Christians in Corinth and instructing them on how to handle earthly issues as a believer. Paul knows that if two Christians have a disagreement, they should be able to settle it among themselves or with the help of Christian leaders. If they cannot, and continue with a petty argument, they are being no different than the non-believers who argue in the courts of law. Paul expects the Christians to show constraint, patience, and love in every area of their lives, even when they have been cheated. That is difficult to do when we have been cheated but how can the world see us as different if we act like the world? I also wonder what Paul would say if he heard the speaker on the commercial say, “Get what you deserve”. He would probably tell us all that we deserve the death that Jesus endured on the cross. We deserve to never be allowed to speak the name of Jesus. And we deserve eternity far away from our Heavenly Father.

I prayed today and asked God to show me how to handle all situations in my life as He would want. How to be wronged by someone and treat them with love. How to have a disagreement with someone and treat them with respect. And, if I slip and fall, how to laugh it off, patch my wounds, and move on without collecting a check!

Chad

Hope

That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.  1st Timothy 4:10

“But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.  Psalm 39:7

I was at church a few weeks ago and I heard someone use a word that I hear very often but had not given much thought to it's meaning. The word was hope. People use the word hope when talking about a lot of things. They hope for a good grade, they hope for a good job, they hope for a great marriage, they hope to be successful and they hope to always have hope. I think we often hope for things that we should be praying about and working toward. What happens to a person when they lose all hope? Maybe they turn to a life of drugs or alcohol to mask the loss of hope. Marriages end because a husband or wife has lost hope in the future with their spouse, and people commit suicide every day because they have lost hope. But we also see people who have lost everything except hope. Maybe they have lost family, friends, jobs or money but they still have hope. People survive terrible illness or tragedy and all they have left is an ounce of hope.

Where do you find your hope? I know I can always count on family, but my hope should never be in humans. We may be fortunate to be successful in our careers, but we should never put our hope in a career because it could change drastically tomorrow. Our hope should always come from and be in our Savior Jesus Christ. Our hope in Him comes from remembering the blessings we have in our life and from remembering what He has done for us. We have faith and a hope for a great future because He promises to give us a future and a hope. Our hope is not in the things we see every day or the people we know but in the promise that He is always with us, guiding each step of our life. When our hope comes from Jesus alone, we will always have a great hope regardless of the trials we face and the ups and downs of life.

I prayed today to put my faith in the One who gives me hope.  Regardless of the trials we are faced with throughout our lives, we can put our hope in the living God.  

Chad