You only need to be still.

You only need to be still. 

Pre Game 

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Exodus 14:14

Warm Up

The Israelites just left Egypt, following the promise that God gave them that He would deliver them from Egypt.  They have left Egypt when Pharaoh changed his heart and pursues them.  The Israelites panicked and Moses replies to them:  "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Likewise, can you think of a situation in sport when you also panicked?  Was it on match point or when you realized that your opponents is making a comeback?  In sports and life we as believers follow God and rely on His promises.  Sometimes it may feel like chaos and that we will be attacked from every side like the Israelites did.  But the amazing promise the Israelites had was that the Lord was with them and that He will fight for them.  Their only response was to be still.  

Why?  Because the Lord is with us.  Psalm 23:4 also says:  "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil,  for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."    

     

Game Time

Are you in a situation where you feel overwhelmed?

How have you responded to it?

Have you been able to simply be still before the Lord?

What are the names?

What are the names?

Pre Game 

“Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial before the Lord. Also put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the Lord. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord."

Exodus 28:29-30

Warm Up

When Aaron entered the Holy place the Lord asked him to "bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial before the Lord."  

The Lord desired Aaron to think of the sons of Israel when he had to make decisions and be the mediator between God and Israel.  He did not want him to make decisions based on his own desires but what God desired for His people and not only for an individual.  So the question for us today..what are the names the Lord has placed on our breastpiece of decision?  Who does the Lord desire you to think about or remember when you make decisions?  Your loved ones, family, friends, those in the ministry?  What are their names?    

     

Game Time

Who are the people's names the Lord desires you to remember before you make big decisions?   

Do you make decisions that is best for you or them?  

What are the names on your breastpiece?

Letting Go

Letting Go

Pre Game 

“Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his country.” 

Exodus 11:10 NIV

Warm Up

In sports and life you can measure how much someone or something has control and influence in your life by how easy or hard it is to let it go. If we think about it...the most valuable people and things to us are the hardest to let go. The least valuable things are easy to let go. Pharaoh struggled to let the Israelites go, even though God had told him clearly to do so. The Israelites were extremely valuable to him and the country's economy.  But the Lord clearly told him to let them go.

So what about you and me? Is there anything in sports and life that we hold on to very tight that we deem as important? Is there anything or anyone in our lives that the Lord has told us clearly to let go of?

Jesus told His disciples in Luke 14:33:  "In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples." Are you and I willing to let everything go that The Lord asks of us? He asked His disciples to give up their money, house, friends, family, things, and anything else besides God.

     

Game Time

Are we willing to let go when The Lord asks us?

Major on the Major and minor on the minor

Major on the Major and minor on the minor 

Pre Game 

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Matthew 22:37-40

Warm Up

Every point you play in tennis counts as one point on the score board.  But some points have significantly different consequences.  For example:  If the score is 15-15 and you win one point your only ahead 30-15.  But if you are ahead 40-30 and you win the point you win the game.  Even the final point of a tennis match called “matchpoint”, only counts as one point on the scoreboard but if you win that point, you win everything.  So as you can see there are some points that are more valuable than others.  These points we consider major but the other points are minor.  Both are important, because you cant get to the big points without winning the minor ones.  

Heres an example from a match Andy Roddick played in a few years back.  Andy lost the match but when you looked at the total points won, he actually won more total points than his opponent.  His opponent won the major points and lost several minor ones.  He wasn't intentionally focusing on not getting the minor points, his opponent was simply making sure that he took care of the major ones.  What is important is to play each point according to its context.  Major on the major and minor on the minor.    

In life we also play many points.  Some are major and some are minor.  Someone once asked Jesus what the biggest points in life were in Matthew  22:36 when the Pharisees asked Jesus, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”  Jesus responded with a simplistic, yet difficult, answer in Matthew 22:37-40 saying, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.”

In sports and life we need to major on the major and minor on the minor.  Sometimes in life we major on the minors and minor on the majors, but God has clearly laid out what His majors are.  How do we respond?  

     

Game Time

What are the majors you need to focus on more? 

What are the minors you might be putting too much focus on?

Valuable Moments

Valuable Moments 

Pre Game 

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 12:2

Warm Up

Athletes train hours and hours to prepare for extremely valuable moments in sports.  Sports are full of valuable moments.  You can sense it, especially when pressure is present.  Scoring the winning shot in the dying seconds to win the game, having match point at being ahead 7-6 in the tie-break in the third set, or scoring the try on the final move in rugby.  One of the reasons athletes make sacrifices in training is to be ready for these moments.  

In life we also make significant sacrifices for valuable moments.  Recently, as we are planning to move out of the country, we made a seven hour trip to be with friends.  One of these couples just had their very first baby.  Being there at the hospital, sharing the joy of their newborn baby made all that effort worth it.  Certain moments are extremely valuable and you don't know if you will ever have them again.  

Jesus made a significant sacrifice for us for an extremely valuable moment…on the cross.  He died for us on the cross so that we may live.  Was it worth it?  ABSOLUTELY!  He counted the joy set before Him as greater worth than the suffering (Hebrews 12:2).  He loved us so much! Measuring the pain of sacrifice verses the reward and joy that comes after that is not worth comparing.  We are saved from death and will live forever with Him because of His great sacrificial love for us.  Thank you Jesus.  

     

Game Time

What are some valuable moments in your life? 

What are some sacrifices you had to make for these valuable moments?

What are sacrifices God is calling you right now to make for valuable moments He desires to see happen?

God will never leave us nor forsake us.

God will never leave us nor forsake us. 

Pre Game 

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Deuteronomy 31:6

Warm Up

Regardless of how crazy life, work and the world may get, we know one constant promise through it all: God will never leave us nor forsake us. He promises us that He will always be present.  The Israelites left Egypt and followed God through the leading of Moses.  God remained true to His promise by being present with them through a cloud by day and fire by night.  Exodus 13:21 says, “By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.”

God gave the same promise to Joshua as he continued to lead the Israelites after Moses.  Joshua 1:9 says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”  

Jesus said the same to his disciples in Matthew 28:19-20:   “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Over and over in the Bible we can see how God fulfills His promise to His children.  Consider all the transitions we experience in our lives - big or small.  Graduating from kindergarten, elementary school, high school and college.  Getting married, moving out of the house, getting your new job, visiting a new city or country.  Buying your first car, house, or favorite grill.  Some transitions are sad and some are joyful.  Some are big and some are small.  But one thing remain constant through all of them - God will be with us always.  Never leaving us nor forsaking us.  The Lord is before us, behind us, under us, above us and on every side.  He goes before us and prepares the way for us to walk. 

He is Immanuel, God with us. 

Game Time

What transitions are you currently going through?

Where and how do you see God during this time and why?

Don't Stop Believing

Don’t Stop Believing.

" David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied."

1 Samuel 17:45

Stanislas Wawrinka is crowned as the new Australian Open Tennis Champion. This is an amazing feat to accomplish beating 3 top 10 players in the world to win the title. If you haven't followed tennis the last few years, it has been dominated by a few players such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray. These four guys have been the "tennis giants" and have won the majority of the tennis titles the lay few  years. After a while, you get a sense that these guys are invincible, unbeatable. You can see it in the attitudes of those they compete against. A small flicker of hope to win but helplessness in the air.

But there are a few that never gave up believing. Whether they had a little or a lot, they had faith. They kept working hard, improving their fitness and mental toughness, and simply never gave up. Stanislas was one of these guys. I respect him for believing he could win against these giants and not give up.

In life we also face giants that we feel and sense are invincible.  There are areas of our life that we feel we cannot overcome or have victory over. Have you lost hope against these giants?  David conquered Goliath with the strength and faith The Lord provided.  Jesus reminds us, "In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world."  The Lord has given us the power to overcome the giants in our life and reminds us that anything we face, he has already conquered for us.  

What are the giants in your life?

Do you believe that The Lord desires to conquer these giants in your life?

Matthew 6:33 -- Will be given to you...

Will be given to you… 

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” 

Matthew 6:33

Think about a time you received a gift from a friend, a coach, a teammate, or anyone else.  How did that make you feel?  Jesus tells us that He will take care of us by giving us the gift of basic necessities such as food, clothing and something to drink.  

Who has the power or ownership over a gift?  The giver or receiver?  In every situation the giver owns something and gives it away to the receiver.  When Jesus says “all these things will be given", who has the power and ownership over the things that are given?  God does.  

God owns everything as Psalm 24:1-2 states, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it, for he founded it upon the seas and established it on the waters.”  God, as the owner of all things, loves us so much that He “gives”.  Jesus is kind of reminding us that God is in absolute control.  We don't own anything.  The only things we can receive are the things that He gives.  Giving is within God’s nature and who He is.  This is most evident when He gives His one and only Son to die for us on the cross (John 3:16).  

If God who is almighty and powerful is willing to “give” His only Son, why would He not also give us less important things like water, food and clothing.  God is in control and He gives because He loves us regardless of what we do.  Matthew 5:45 says: “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”  Romans 5:8 echoes the same heart of giving, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”                 

As God is the loving, almighty giver, how do you respond when you receive these gifts from Him?                  

What are your thoughts about: 

God being in control and owning everything

God being the all sovereign “giver” 

Matthew 6:33 - And all these things...

And all these things...

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” 

Matthew 6:33

Jesus tells us clearly what will happen when we seek God’s kingdom and righteousness first.  He says: “and all these thing will be given to you as well.”  What are all these things? 

In the context of this passage, Jesus was telling the hearers not to worry about what they will eat, drink or wear as he states in Matthew 6:25:  “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes?”  

In our world today, many of us consider food, water, and clothing as basic necessities of life to survive.  We tend to live life in fear that we wont have these things one day.  We get anxious and worried that at the end of the day we will not be taken care of.  We tend to think:  “Lord, give me what I need and I will follow you.”  But Jesus says the order of your request is backwards, for He says, “Follow Me (God), and then I will give you what you need.”   

Jesus knows that these things are very important, but shows that they should not be the most important.  What can be more important than our survival?  Why should we not be anxious about these things?  

Jesus continues and explains how He takes care of the birds (Matt. 6:26-27) and the flowers (Matt. 6:28-29).  “If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you - you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:30)  

"Therefore, since you are so much more valuable to God than the birds and the grass, do not worry about what you will eat, drink or wear.  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them” (Matthew 6:32).  The basic point He is making is that we are extremely valuable to Him, that He loves us and wants to take care of us.  He is our Heavenly Father and already knows that we need those things.  He is telling us not to seek those things first, but to seek His kingdom and righteousness first.   

Do we trust that God will really provide us with the basic necessities needed to follow Him?  

Do we believe that He really cares for us?   

How do you live life:  

1) “Lord, give me what I need and THEN I will follow you.”  OR

2)“Follow God, and THEN he will give you what you need.”

Matthew 6:33 - HIS Righteousness

HIS Righteousness

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” 

Matthew 6:33

Jesus not only calls the listeners to seek God's kingdom first but God's righteousness.  Righteousness refers to being in the right, being correct or doing the right thing. This is very tough because how do we determine what is right and wrong? In the western world, we are growing up in a society that thinks there are no absolute truths anymore.  A person can create their own truths based on their personal views and situations.  A worldview like this allows individuals to chose for themselves what is right or wrong, what is true and false.  They become “the authority” and the standard by what to judge themselves, others and things around them.  In this world view, there is no God.     

But, if we are disciples of Christ, we live with a different paradigm.  We believe that there is only one God (Exodus 20:3-6).  We believe that there is absolute truth.  We believe that there is only one who determines what true and false is, what right and wrong is.  As John 14:6 says, “Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.' ”  

So what does this mean for us practically?  Jesus calls us to seek His righteousness first and not our righteousness.  He wants us to do what He deems as right and not what the world says is right.  Are we willing to sacrifice our righteousness for His righteousness?  Do you want to be right or do you want God to be right?  In life and sports we will face this decision:  “What is the right thing to do?”  You have a decision to make…  

How do you determine what is right or wrong in sports or life?

Who’s righteousness do you seek first?   

Matthew 6:33 - HIS KINGDOM

HIS Kingdom 

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” 

Matthew 6:33

In Matthew 6:33, Jesus calls us to seek God’s kingdom.  In the context of this passage, Jesus was telling the hearers not to worry about what they will eat, drink or wear because their Heavenly Father already knows that they need those things. He was telling them not to seek those things first, but to seek His kingdom and righteousness first. 

What does it mean to seek His kingdom?  One cannot separate the king and his kingdom.  Kingdom refers to anything over which the king has authority and rules over. When you know the king you know more of what his kingdom will be like. The important question is: Who is the king you seek first?  Whose kingdom do you seek first?  Who do you seek to be in authority and have complete reign?

In sports and life we face these decisions daily.  We choose which kingdom we will seek first - God's, the world's, or our own.  Do I want God to be my King when I play sports or do I desire to be in authority?  Do I want  God's desires to come true or my desires?  Does God want me to handle time and finances according to the world's recommendations or His kingdom principles?  Do we retaliate back the same way in sports when an opponent mistreats us, or do we respond with His love and compassion?

As we face these decisions daily, we need to check which king we are seeking to have authoritative reign over our lives?

Who is king over your sports and life?  

Do we seek God's kingdom or our own kingdom?

How can we seek God's kingdom practically today?    

**Additional Scripture:  Romans 14:17 says:  "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit," 

Matthew 6:33 - FIRST

FIRST

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Matthew 6:33

This is a mini-series of devotionals focused on Matthew 6:33. They will build on each other each week. We will seek to break down the verse word by word, phrase by phrase to hopefully get a better understanding on what God wants to show us and teach us.
The previous devotional focused on the word “seek”. We discussed what that meant and finished by asking the question: “What do you seek?” Today’s question will expand on that by asking: “What do you seek first?” This is the probably the main question Matthew 6:33 is asking. It’s not whether seeking or not seeking is right or wrong, but rather what are you seeking first? What we seek first shows us what is most important on our priority list.
So let’s start with sports. What do you seek first in sports? First is an extremely important word that has a lot of meaning in the world of sports. What you seek first determines what your end goal is in sports. For many athletes winning is what they seek first. Being number one and winning is all that matters. Vince Lombardi once said that: “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.”

The first thing other athletes might seek is to have fun, improve or to be with friends. What do you seek first in sports? The same question applies to life. Because what you seek first in sports and life tend to show what the most important thing to you is.

So what is it in life? Is it surviving, money, relationships, being a good person, being the best or helping others? What does God call us to seek first? In Matthew 6:33 Jesus calls us to seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness first. In the context of this passage, Jesus was telling the hearers not to worry about what they will eat, drink or wear because their Heavenly Father already knows that they need those things. He was telling them not to seek those things first BUT to seek His kingdom and righteousness first. Do we play sports and live life like this?

What do you seek first in sports? Why? What do you seek first in life? Why? 

Matthew 6:33 - SEEK

SEEK

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Matthew 6:33

The next few devotionals will be a mini-series focused on one scripture. They will build on each other each week. We will seek to break down the verse word by word, phrase by phrase to hopefully get a better understanding on what God wants to show us and teach us. This is probably one of the most quoted scriptures in the New Testament and you will see why. Let’s go ahead and take a closer look.

The first part of the scripture gives us the command to seek. Before we worry about what we are seeking, let’s analyze what it even means to seek. According to lexicon definition, it means [i] “to seek [in order to find out] by thinking, meditating, reasoning, to enquire into. “ When you are seeking, you are hoping to find something. In sports, we seek to obtain knowledge of the game, skill to beat an opponent, or abilities to reach certain goals. We might think, meditate, or reason about different ways to find what we are seeking. We do all of this with the expectation that we will eventually find what we are looking for. Would you seek something you expect not to find? Seeking shows faith and hope that there is something or someone that you can find.

Seek refers to the eyes. Wherever your eyes are fixed upon that is what you are really seeking. Where are your eyes focused? What is it you are seeing? After the eyes focus on something then your mind decides the rationale behind it and your heart agrees with the motive then the rest of your body follows.
Seeking refers to being proactive and movement. It means initiating going from one place to discover another. You cannot sit still and expect to really reach the goal you are seeking for.

Now we understand a little more what seeking means. The next question is: “What do we seek?” Do we seek Christ or the world? His kingdom or our kingdom? His will or our will? Each of us can test what we are really seeking. Consider the following two questions: What are your eyes fixed upon? Where do you spend most of your time and money? These two questions typically reveal to us what we are really seeking. God calls us to seek. But who or what is our decision?

What are you seeking in sports and life? What are your goals? What are your eyes fixed upon?
Where do you spend most of you time and money?
i Retrieved from http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm? Strongs=G2212&t=KJV