“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is demanded of you. And the things you have prepared—whose will they be?’
“That’s how it is with the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” –Luke 12:20-21
If you’re running to win but you have only earthly goals in mind, it will be short-lived. It will be a withering type of thing. You have to have spiritual goals in mind. Things do get in the way of being excellent. Some of those things are pride and self-centeredness but you still have to do everything as unto the Lord. You have to try to keep those types of thoughts out. You have to understand what’s spiritual and what’s long lasting. I’m reminded of the Scripture passage about the guy who had the barns, was very blessed, and said he was going to build bigger barns and store all of his wares. But God said to him, “You’re a fool because all these things will be taken from you this very night.” Where is your soul? That’s the thing that’s going to last. We do get misguided priorities if we’re really just thinking only in terms of excellence. Everything has to balance out. Excellence without service, or excellence without teamwork is excellence for only your purpose. It all has to come into balance.
1. What are some of your athletic goals? How much importance do you place on winning?
2. How can you apply the parable of Luke 12:13-21 to your athletic dreams?
3. What are some ways that you can keep from getting too prideful and overconfident following your successes?
Matthew 7:24-27; Luke 12:13-21; 1 Corinthians 9:24
Lord, help me root out prideful, self-centered goals in my life and replace them with God-centered hopes and dreams that will bring You glory through service to others and a spirit of excellence in everything I do. Amen.
About the Author:
Tony Dungy is the former head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. In 2007, he became the first African American head coach to win the Super Bowl (XXL) when the Colts defeated the Chicago Bears.