Ready:
"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."
-Matthew 7:12
Set:
For the first time ever, NASCAR rolled out its "Car of Tomorrow" in a race, the 2007 Food City 500 in Bristol, Tenn. One of the biggest critics of the car, Kyle Busch, took home the checkered flag thanks to the courteous driving by second-place finisher, Jeff Burton. "My mother always told me to do unto other people the way you want them to do you," Burton said. "I could have used the bumper to move him out of the way and win the race, but I didn't want to. If you can't pass him without knocking him out of the way, do the best you can."
Jeff Burton was given some wise instructions from his mother, but what was more important was that he obeyed them. King Solomon wrote about this in Proverbs 1:8. "Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck."
Many competitors (and fans) put winning at the top of the priorities list, even if it means wrecking an opponent to get it done. For the Christian competitor, however, Jesus tells us to "do to others what you would have them do to you," and take the sole focus off of winning a competition and put it on winning it the right way.
May we always compete to win, without compromising our integrity in the process.
Go:
1. Have you ever done something you know was wrong in order to win a competition? Describe it.
2. Why do you think people sometimes elevate winning above integrity?
3. What is something God might be calling you to change about the way you compete?
Workout:
Proverbs 21:3
Proverbs 21:21
Galatians 6:9-10
Titus 3:8