Be in the "Now"
Theme of the Week: Stick with the Fundamentals
Thursday, July 31, 2008
 1 of 1
Key Bible Verse: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize (Philippians 3:13-14). Bonus Reading: 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
As a high school basketball coach, I've observed that after a winning streak, my players sometimes begin to believe they're better than they actually are. Such overconfidence can lead to deflating defeats. Yet a losing streak produces a mirror-image result: the team loses confidence in their abilities.
To avoid either of these, I remind my players to focus on what lies ahead rather than on the past. After each game, I say, "The season starts tomorrow." This helps us remember what we, as a team can become.
As Christians, we're sometimes too hard on ourselves when we reflect on our past sins. Satan can use this to try to make us feel unworthy of God and his kingdom. The truth is that as sinners we are all unworthy. But we're not unlovable. Salvation is never something we earn, which is why Jesus paid the ultimate price on the cross so we could be saved.
God can still do great things with us regardless of our past. He says to each of us, "Your Christian life begins today because I love you." In return, the greatest gift we can offer others is the good news that God looks beyond our pasts to give us grace for the future—if only we'll receive it!
—Chip Mehaffey in Heart of a Coach
My Response: How can I plan for steady growth moving forward?
Thought to Apply: Don't let your highs be too high, or your lows too low. —John Wooden (college basketball coach)
Adapted from Heart of a Coach (Regal, 2005) by permission.
Copyright © 2008 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
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Keep me, Lord, from settling for a holding pattern. Help me to realize steady growth in my walk with You.
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