November 13, 2006 -- Boys and Girls;
As you go out tomorrow and tryout for your school team, remember all the things you have completed over the last 2 1/2 months. You accomplish those things through faith.
Remember GOD will be with you at all times, the good and the bad. HE will not let you fail, if you believe in his grace, and mercy.
Get everything you got this week and I wish you'll the best.
"WHATAP" (With HIM all things are possible.)
"Be Transformed"
READY:
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to
test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect
will."
-Romans 12:2 (NIV)
SET:
One of the most important things in sports is mentality. Love of the
game, a willingness to work hard, team spirit, obedience and mental
discipline all are crucial factors in the outcomes of games, seasons
and careers. For an athlete to do something great physically, such as
make a great tackle or break a personal record, they must be
coachable and have the right mindset.
It's like this in our walk with God. Before we can know God's perfect
will or do anything great for Him, we must have a renewed mind. A
renewed mind values the things that God values, such as love,
forgiveness and sacrifice. It does not conform to the values and
ideas of the world.
This change is not something that we do by ourselves; we must "be
transformed" by God. Reading the Bible, going to church and praying
are some of the major ways in which the process can begin, but God
can use almost any situation or circumstance to bring us to Him and
turn us into men and women who can do great things for Him.
GO:
1. Name are three people, experiences or circumstances that God has
used to change you.
2. What are some sinful "patterns of the world" that you conform to?
How can you change that?
3. What are some situations or people that God could use to change
you or that you could be involved with?
WORKOUT:
2 Corinthians 3:17-18
Titus 3:3-6
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Will McDavid is a junior at Stratford Academy in Macon, Georgia.
Now it's your Turn. Write your own FCA Devotional. . . Go to
www.fca.org and click the "Submit your own FCA devo!" link on the
right side.
"Tough Decisions Made Naturally"
READY:
"Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path."
-Psalm 119:105
SET:
Several years ago, my basketball team was in the locker room
preparing to take the floor for our pregame warm-up. During our
"quiet time," waiting for the JV game to end, each player was going
through his own thought process while I mentally reviewed my lists of
defenses, offenses, substitution patterns and scouting reports. While
I was in deep concentration for the upcoming contest (and probably
pacing the room), one of my starters looked up at me and said,
"Coach, how do you know what to do when life presents a challenge?
How do you make the right decision?"
Overcoming the initial shock that one of my main players was not
focused on the game, I paused and replied, "Well, I guess it is the
philosophy that you develop as you grow up. Once you develop a
fundamental basis for life, difficult decisions come easily." The
player nodded his head in agreement, and I felt a sense of relief and
thankfulness. Relief, because this player was an intelligent young
man who would quickly see through an answer that was either a
falsehood or a glowing pretense. Thankful, because frankly, the only
place that answer could have come from was the Holy Spirit, as I am
not a good off-the-cuff speaker.
Our Christian life is much like athletics in that respect. We drill
our players over and over with fundamentals and give them guidance as
to what to do in certain situations, then it is up to the players to
rely on that background to make quick and correct decisions in the
course of the game.
If we are strong in our faith, the decision-making process becomes
easy in our lives, as well. Once our fundamentals are practiced and
thought-out, they become second-nature. So shall be our path and
decision to follow the example of Jesus Christ!
GO:
1. What foundation do you rely upon when facing a major decision?
2. Do you have enough faith fundamentals to make a quick, correct
decision?
3. What could you do to increase your faith fundamentals?
WORKOUT:
Matthew 7:24-27
1 Corithians 1:18-25
1 Corithians 6:12-20
James 1:2-5
OVERTIME:
"Heavenly Father, help us all to grow in Your wisdom. Grant us
insight that will allow us to make wise decisions naturally without
hesitation, knowing that from You comes all of our strength, and only
in You and Your Word do we find real peace and happiness. In Jesus'
name, amen."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tom Wamsley is the advisor for the FCA Huddle at Tygarts Valley
Middle/High School in Mill Creek, W.V. Tom has been a head boy's
varsity basketball coach for 23 years in West Virginia, and an FCA
advisor and Sunday school teacher for the last 10 years. Tom has been
married to his wife, Jane, for 27 years, and together they have two
daughters, Andrea and Monica.
June 28, 2006 -- 06.28.06
"When the going gets tough. . ."
READY:
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, because the
kingdom of heaven is theirs. Blessed are you when they insult you and
persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because
of Me. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven.
For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
-Matthew 5:10-12
SET:
How many of us today are aware of somebody who just doesn't like us?
We all have people in our lives who try to put us down. As athletes,
we encounter others who seek to break our confidence. Even more so,
as Christians, we face individuals who do not understand our faith or
our love for Christ and who, therefore, fear what they do not know.
Every day around the world, Christians are forced to meet in secret
to study God's Word. Others are imprisoned for their faith. We in the
U.S. are blessed to live in a free nation in which we can worship
freely. Still, persecution can be found in our daily lives. Teammates
may snicker when you pray before games. Friends may scoff when you
tell them of a foreign child you're sponsoring through a Christian
organization. Friendships that have lasted for years may be shattered
when one friend becomes uncomfortable with your faith.
It would be very simple for us to avoid people who persecute or
question our faith or to treat them as they treat us. However, we
must keep God's Word in mind and remember what He can do in the lives
of our persecutors and what He wants us to do for them, as well. Saul
was one of the most tireless persecutors of the early Christians. As
Stephen was stoned to death, the "witnesses laid their clothes at the
feet of a young man named Saul. . .and Saul was there giving approval
to his death" (Acts 7:58, Acts 8:1). We must remember that in Acts 9
Saul was converted by God's love and became Paul, a tireless worker
for the sake of Christ. Imagine what God can do in the lives of your
enemies!
We are not called to stand idly by while being persecuted. Inversely,
we are not called to seek revenge. Instead, we are commanded to show
the love of Christ through our actions. In Luke 6:29 Jesus tells us,
"If someone strikes you on the cheek, turn to him the other also." It
is not easy to love those who do not love us, but if we live our
lives according to how Jesus instructs us, we will find it easier to
navigate through life's difficulties. When the going gets tough, the
tough show God's love.
Cooperation-working with others to the benefit of all.
1-Gentleness is a better method of getting cooperation than harshness.
2-A team can accomplish much more when it works together than individuls can when they work alone.
With all levels of your co-workers, listen if you want to be a head. Be intersted in finding the best way, not in havinh your own way.
Scriptures:
1-1 Chronicles 9:-22-34
2- Psalms 84:10
3- Eccl 4:9-12
4- Romans 12:3-8
5- Ephesians 4:7-16
6- 1 Peter 4:10
7- Thessalians 5-19
8- Revlations 4:8
People make us better.Its easier to reach our potential when we learn the value of including others in our quest. We can accomlish so much more, when we work with others.
Friends help each other; they don't use each other.
Our reputation is what we're, perceived to be; our character is what we really are.
Sripture:
Daniel 3:3
Daniel 4:3
Proverbs 17:17
Proverbs 18:24
1 Corthinians 13:4-7
John 15:13
Phillians 2:3
For there is no substitute for work. Worthwhile resukts come from hard work and careful planning.
Study Scripture:
1-Proverbs 13:4
2-Proverbs 13:11
3-Proverbs 14:23
4-Proverb 22:29
5-Proverbs 28:19
6-Poverbs 31-13-27
Question:
Make a list in your life of issues that need haed work?
Secondhand Glory"
READY:
"Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory because of
Your faithful love, because of Your truth."
-Psalm 115:1
SET:
Growing up with two older brothers meant that I never got anything
new. Nothing! I was given secondhand items all the time, including
clothes, sporting equipment and toys. I did get new socks, though, so
I had that going for me.
Secondhand stuff had already been passed through the hands of my
brothers. But my big day did come. When I was eight years old my dad
bought me a brand new lacrosse stick. My brothers hadn't had the
chance to get their (dirty) hands on it before I did. It was a
glorious moment. The lacrosse stick glowed with newness. That
experience marked me as a young athlete. It passed through my hands
first--not second, third or fourth!
What does "secondhand" mean when it comes to God? Well, when it comes
to glory, God doesn't want ours secondhand. He does not want glory
that is passed down. You know I'm talking about--taking credit for
ourselves when God should be getting it. This can be subtle. We can
give credit quickly to God after we take the credit first. As
athletes, it is easy to take credit because we are always getting it
from teammates, coaches and fans.
If we take the glory and then try to give it to God, He rejects it.
God actually rejects all secondhand glory. All through the Bible we
see that God only receives firsthand glory. Our best should be given
to Him. And it goes beyond who should get the credit. Credit is done
with the mouth. Glory is done with the heart. Glory is about honoring
our Master with our best. Glory is about worshiping Him with a pure
heart. And when we get it right and honor Him first, God will honor
us. In 1 Samuel 2:30 it says, "I will honor those who honor Me, but
those who despise Me will be disgraced."
As an athlete, our goal is to give God firsthand glory. Right from
the get-go, the glory goes to Jesus. As it states in the Competitor's
Creed, "Let the competition begin. Let the glory be God's."
GO:
1. When do you find yourself giving God secondhand glory?
2. In what cases shown in the Bible does God reject secondhand glory?
(Hint: For a good one, look up Cain and Abel.)
3. When competing, why is it easy to take the glory?
4. Name some practical ways that you can reminded yourself to give
God the glory first.
5. Why is glory a heart issue?
WORKOUT:
Genesis 4:1-7
Psalm 96:7-8
OVERTIME:
"Jesus, I recognize that I am a glory hog, and I know that it
disgusts You. Help me, Lord, to not give you secondhand glory. As a
Holy God, You want firsts, not seconds. Teach me how to give You the
glory, all the time."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
After a successful professional lacrosse career, Dan Britton now
serves as FCA's Senior Vice President of Ministries at the National
Headquarters in Kansas City. He and his wife Dawn reside in Overland
Park, Kan., with their three children: Kallie, Abby and Elijah.
Now it's your Turn. Write your own FCA Devotional. . . Go to
www.fca.org and click the "Submit your own FCA devo!" link on the
right side.
READY:
"Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory because of
Your faithful love, because of Your truth."
-Psalm 115:1
SET:
Growing up with two older brothers meant that I never got anything
new. Nothing! I was given secondhand items all the time, including
clothes, sporting equipment and toys. I did get new socks, though, so
I had that going for me.
Secondhand stuff had already been passed through the hands of my
brothers. But my big day did come. When I was eight years old my dad
bought me a brand new lacrosse stick. My brothers hadn't had the
chance to get their (dirty) hands on it before I did. It was a
glorious moment. The lacrosse stick glowed with newness. That
experience marked me as a young athlete. It passed through my hands
first--not second, third or fourth!
What does "secondhand" mean when it comes to God? Well, when it comes
to glory, God doesn't want ours secondhand. He does not want glory
that is passed down. You know I'm talking about--taking credit for
ourselves when God should be getting it. This can be subtle. We can
give credit quickly to God after we take the credit first. As
athletes, it is easy to take credit because we are always getting it
from teammates, coaches and fans.
If we take the glory and then try to give it to God, He rejects it.
God actually rejects all secondhand glory. All through the Bible we
see that God only receives firsthand glory. Our best should be given
to Him. And it goes beyond who should get the credit. Credit is done
with the mouth. Glory is done with the heart. Glory is about honoring
our Master with our best. Glory is about worshiping Him with a pure
heart. And when we get it right and honor Him first, God will honor
us. In 1 Samuel 2:30 it says, "I will honor those who honor Me, but
those who despise Me will be disgraced."
As an athlete, our goal is to give God firsthand glory. Right from
the get-go, the glory goes to Jesus. As it states in the Competitor's
Creed, "Let the competition begin. Let the glory be God's."
GO:
1. When do you find yourself giving God secondhand glory?
2. In what cases shown in the Bible does God reject secondhand glory?
(Hint: For a good one, look up Cain and Abel.)
3. When competing, why is it easy to take the glory?
4. Name some practical ways that you can reminded yourself to give
God the glory first.
5. Why is glory a heart issue?
WORKOUT:
Genesis 4:1-7
Psalm 96:7-8
OVERTIME:
"Jesus, I recognize that I am a glory hog, and I know that it
disgusts You. Help me, Lord, to not give you secondhand glory. As a
Holy God, You want firsts, not seconds. Teach me how to give You the
glory, all the time."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
After a successful professional lacrosse career, Dan Britton now
serves as FCA's Senior Vice President of Ministries at the National
Headquarters in Kansas City. He and his wife Dawn reside in Overland
Park, Kan., with their three children: Kallie, Abby and Elijah.
Now it's your Turn. Write your own FCA Devotional. . . Go to
www.fca.org and click the "Submit your own FCA devo!" link on the
right side.
Enthusiasm
If we are to
succeed, we have to enjoy what we do.
Enthusaism, emables us to push as hard as we need to push for
as long as we need to push to achieve our best.
Quiet Enthusaism- get results in exudes confidence, and ruls
off in wonderful ways.
Enthusaism- is a corner stone in the Pyramid of Success, but
when it comes to faith, it must be coupled with knowledge.
Scriptures:
Ecclesiates 42:12
Ecclesiates 12:1
Acts 18: 24-28
1 Corthinians 1:17
1 Corthinians 3:4-6
Galatians 6:9
Revlations 2:4