Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Devotion 1.11.17

How did Alabama and Clemson get to the spot they now occupy? I am certain there is a combination of factors that contributed to the success the programs now enjoy.  Vision, goals, plans, hardwork, dedication, commitment, support, practice and practice again, and then the intangible items like spirit and enthusiasm.  Everyone wants to copy them, and the recipe isn't a secret.  It's just hard to attain. 

It seems that in sports, we see the great programs again and again, like Alabama and its professional football counterpart New England.  Both coaches tout the same personalities, and yet both are masters of their games. Both put a competitor on the field each year, and it's not a question of will they win, but how far will they go?

In Romans, Paul talks to us about our spiritual game, the game that pits us against ourselves.  Sinful man and the new man, the man in Christ.  We are like those teams.  Some people excel and some watch from the sidelines.  Sure, we may feel like we are masters of the game, but in truth, we are sinful human beings.  Each day presents us with enough opportunities to fall or to glorify Christ that we are thankful at the end of each day for God's forgiveness and renewal.  Paul says it eloquently in Romans 5:  "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." (5:1-5)

Like the teams who excel, we stumble and fail (sufferings), but with our focus on the cross, we have that endurance (practice, work hard, commit) which gives us that character to persevere and finally gives us hope in the cross of Christ Jesus as the Spirit fills us with that faith and love from Christ.

Hope Men's Ministry

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