Devotional
-
April 27, 2009
Set:
One problem with us today is that we often forget we own nothing. Talent, leadership ability, and even the very lives we live are God’s property.
Job lost all he had through no fault of his own. As he struggled to understand why, it became clear that it was not meant for him to know the reasons. How he reacted is paramount—He worshiped God! Today we tend to worship depending on how well life is treating us. Job exemplified a very valuable principle—worship is the lifestyle we lead, not the momentary prevailing mind-set.
Walk it Out. We have to live out our theology through action.
Obey. Every Christian has been called to obedience. Job was known as a man of integrity because he obeyed God.
-
April 23, 2009
Set:
Man, I am a workout-aholic. Can I get an amen from anyone else out there? Ever since I was in high school I’ve lived by a motto I read on a t-shirt: “Somewhere, someone is working out. And when you meet her in head-to-head competition, she will beat you.” I think somewhere along the line I adopted that as my personal mantra (especially when I started running), and I have been a gym rat ever since.
-
April 22, 2009
Set:
Have you ever heard the saying, “Whatever you’re looking for, you’re bound to find it”? It sure rings true today. The trouble is that many people are searching in all the wrong places.
What about us? What are we looking for? Are we looking for the good things in life? Proverbs 11 teaches that if we look for good, good things are bound to happen. But if we look for bad or evil things, watch out . . . We will probably find what we’re looking for. What about when dealing with friends and others? Do we look for the good in them or for something bad to use against them?
-
April 20, 2009
Set:
I could not be more proud of my running buddy Ashley. Today, she takes a 26.2-mile victory lap around the city of Boston after months of training for the Boston Marathon. She’s worked through aches, pains, snow, wind, rain, fatigue and soreness. And now, the time has come to experience the results and rewards of the hard work.
What makes me even more proud (and quite inspired, honestly) is Ashley’s commitment to doing this wholeheartedly for the Lord. Qualifying for the Boston Marathon is an amazing achievement and can become the source of great pride for many runners. But Ashley has seized the opportunity to point all glory to the Lord and to really press in and learn from Him during the process.
-
April 19, 2009
Set:
In college, my computer teacher taught me the acronym GIGO. It stands for “Garbage In, Garbage Out.” As athletes, we know that this phrase can relate to our bodies. If we fill ourselves with junk, junk will come out in the form of poor performance.
The GIGO acronym is even more powerful when we apply it to our hearts. If we put garbage in our hearts, garbage comes out. Think about this: if a tube of toothpaste is squeezed, what comes out? Mustard? No, toothpaste comes out, because that is what was put in the tube.
-
April 18, 2009
Set:
I remember playing football on the playground as an 8 year old. When I was quarterback, I only had one play—the “Hail Mary.” I would tell everyone, “Go long!” My friends would try to tell me they were open short, but I wouldn’t hear them. I wanted to go long on every play. Of course, going long back then was about 10 yards, maybe 15 if you had a good arm like mine. I would drop back to pass, fling the football as far as I could, and hope one of my teammates would come down with it. I thought any play that didn’t result in a touchdown was a failure. I didn’t care about field position or time of possession; I just wanted to score as fast as possible. Obviously, that wasn’t the best strategy for success.
-
April 17, 2009
Set:
I recently met a girl. She had just moved to Kennesaw, Georgia, from Nashville, Tennessee. A friend wanted me to introduce her to the new city. We met and hung out for several nights. While talking on the phone one day, she said, “I am embarrassed to say that I am 25 years old and don’t really understand Jesus and the Bible.” We talked a little and I invited her to a Bible Study the next evening.
-
April 16, 2009
Set:
Maintaining integrity these days is one of the hardest jobs for us as Christians. You just look at the moral standing of our world and the stuff that you see on TV and all the things that young people are exposed to today. It was hard when I was in middle school and high school to stand firm on my principles. I can only imagine how much harder it is now. Christian values and Christian morals are getting increasingly further away from the norm in society. That’s why you have to cling to God and cling to the things that you know to be true in terms of the Word. You’ve got to find something like FCA to get involved with and try to find people who are like-minded with you.
-
April 16, 2009
Set:
I fell in love with my wife in 1993. In 1999, I fell in love with our first child, Jaycee. Then, in 2002, a new love entered my life when I was tricked into running a marathon. And I have been addicted to long-distance running ever since. I have completed the Oklahoma City Marathon and the Gardens of the Gods 10-Miler. What is significant about this addiction is that I had absolutely no running history before 2002. In college I was an All-Conference, 305-pound offensive lineman. I once told a running back that if he ran more than 40 yards, he better have some sort of moves because I was done blocking after 40 yards. But, oddly, the running addiction has gotten a hold of me.
-
April 15, 2009
Set:
A wise man once said, “When you are through learning, you are through!” I don’t know who actually said that, but my father repeated it often. As he would patiently try to teach his sons various sports, he would catch us occasionally not paying attention. We would make simple mistakes that, if we had been listening, wouldn’t have happened.
Solomon was a wise man. He could’ve easily thought he had gained all the knowledge he needed, but understood a simple concept: if we don’t pay attention, listen, and learn, we won’t get the knowledge needed to further our understanding in life. We can learn a lesson from Solomon and other believers of his day: Learning is not just for young people; it is a lifetime process.
