My first three seasons as a varsity boys’ basketball coach were very successful. We won many games and advanced deep into the tournament each year. I remember having a very good attitude during those years. The next four years, however, weren't quite what I expected. My attitude deteriorated as I faced losing teams, losing jobs, moving my family and being rejected by friends.

A few years back, Herm Edwards was speaking in a post game interview as the head coach of the New York Jets. He was asked by a reporter how he felt about the loss and did it matter to Edwards considering how poorly the team had been performing that season.

Edwards responded "This is what's great about sports, the greatest thing about sports is you play to win the game. Hello? You play to win the game. You don't play just to play it. That's the great thing about sports, you play to win. And I don't care if you have any wins. You go play to win. When you start telling me it don't matter, then retire... GET OUT! Because it matters. This whole conversation bothers me."

As competitors, we understand the law of the harvest. What we sow or plant today will produce a harvest at a later time with a greater result. We understand that the training we do today will not produce results today, or even tomorrow, but will produce great results down the road. It will even produce something greater than the training itself. For example, in basketball, working overtime on shooting will produce not just a better shooter, but a better player for the team. The law of the harvest is about later and greater.

“In the beginning, God created…” These are familiar words to most people. We know the conclusion of this verse refers to the creation of the world.

Sometime in a humorous vein, those of us who love baseball will try to identify the Creator with our game by quoting the above as “In the big inning…” I believe there is an important lesson to be learned from the first five words in the Bible, one that relates more to those of us who live on the earth than to the earth itself.

Coaches are always looking for the winning edge. We continually explore new techniques or systems to improve our programs. We go to clinics, conferences and seminars to learn how it should be done. Of course, no one coach is successful 100 percent of the time. But I know one coach who always did it right.

The Master Coach personally selected His own team. He poured His life into a team of 12, worked with them for 3 years, and then sent them out to teach and prepare others for future good work. In fact, He instilled lasting leadership skills among His team in the following five ways:

When I was a freshman in college, I heard this a lot. It was a one-sided conversation from my coach, and it went something like this: “If you want to get in the game, don’t leave my side. Stay right next to me. When I need a defensive lineman, I’m only going to yell once.”

This was a great coaching technique. In fact, I liked it so much that I used it myself when I became a coach, and it usually resulted in one or two players following me around like lost puppies. Recently, when I read James 4:8, I was reminded of these days. This verse tells us that when we come near to God, He will come near to us.