Daily Devotional

[Big Daddy]

Decisions
Tuesday, May 14th, 2013

READY:
Our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this vast multitude that comes to fight against us. We do not know what to do, but we look to You.
- 2 Chronicles 20:12

SET:
Every day as coaches, we face many decisions that will affect our team. We need to deal with everything from what to do at practice, to who should be the starters in the next game. Some decisions are bigger than others, but they all have some bearing on our team. Every once in a while we may find ourselves in a position where we have no clue what decision to make or how to resolve an issue. It is at those times that we turn to assistant coaches, athletic directors, and others for help.

God wants us to do the same thing with the daily decisions we make as Christians. Some decisions are much easier than others, but they all have some affect on our team-on other ambassadors for Christ. In 2 Corinthians 5:20, Paul declares, "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ; certain that God is appealing through us, we plead on Christ's behalf, 'Be reconciled to God.' " That is a lot of pressure. Sometimes we don't always know how to be the best ambassador or how to make the best decision. It is at these moments that God wants us to look to Him. We may not always know what to do, but if we keep our eyes on Him, we have already won the battle.

GO:
1. What major decisions do you face as a coach?
2. Have there been times when you made a wrong decision as a coach?
3. Do you automatically turn to God for big decisions in your life? What about the small decisions?

WORKOUT:
Proverbs 3:5-6
Philippians 4:6-9

OVERTIME:
Lord, please give me the wisdom to make the right decisions for You daily. Thank You for Your Word and Your Spirit that I can use to guide me. I pray that I may continue to keep my eyes on You, so that I will not stray from Your path. Amen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Colleen Hamill

[Big Daddy]

The Playbook
Wednesday, May 15th, 2013

READY:
All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
-2 Timothy 3:16-17

SET:
One of the common elements in all levels of football from peewee to pro is the playbook. It contains the game plan each team uses to try to overcome its opponent. Without the playbook teams and players would be in a state of confusion not knowing what to do or where to go. On the other hand, no matter how good the playbook is, it's absolutely useless if the players don't study and apply it.
When it comes to life, there is no better playbook than the Word of God. It contains everything we need to defeat the opposition (the Devil). Although we may recognize that God has a plan for our lives, we often do not acknowledge that the Devil has a game plan too, and it is completely opposite of God's. The Devil's plan is to "steal and kill and destroy" our lives, while God's plan is to give us a full and abundant life (John 10:10).
In order for us to consistently overcome our adversary, we must know what God's "playbook" says by reading and studying it, and apply what it says to our lives. If we don't, we are feeding right into the plans of our Enemy.

GO:
1. How has following your team's playbook/game plan impacted your performance in competition?
2. How often do you turn to the Bible for guidance?
3. What are some specific ways in which you can apply God's Word to your life today?

WORKOUT:
Matthew 7:24-27; Luke 11:28; James 1:19-25

OVERTIME:
God, thank You for providing us with a playbook for life-the Holy Bible. I pray that as I spend time reading Your Word, the promises in this playbook will be written on my heart. Help me apply what I read in my day-to-day life. Amen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Josh Carter

[Big Daddy]

The Playbook
Wednesday, May 15th, 2013

READY:
All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
-2 Timothy 3:16-17

SET:
One of the common elements in all levels of football from peewee to pro is the playbook. It contains the game plan each team uses to try to overcome its opponent. Without the playbook teams and players would be in a state of confusion not knowing what to do or where to go. On the other hand, no matter how good the playbook is, it's absolutely useless if the players don't study and apply it.
When it comes to life, there is no better playbook than the Word of God. It contains everything we need to defeat the opposition (the Devil). Although we may recognize that God has a plan for our lives, we often do not acknowledge that the Devil has a game plan too, and it is completely opposite of God's. The Devil's plan is to "steal and kill and destroy" our lives, while God's plan is to give us a full and abundant life (John 10:10).
In order for us to consistently overcome our adversary, we must know what God's "playbook" says by reading and studying it, and apply what it says to our lives. If we don't, we are feeding right into the plans of our Enemy.

GO:
1. How has following your team's playbook/game plan impacted your performance in competition?
2. How often do you turn to the Bible for guidance?
3. What are some specific ways in which you can apply God's Word to your life today?

WORKOUT:
Matthew 7:24-27; Luke 11:28; James 1:19-25

OVERTIME:
God, thank You for providing us with a playbook for life-the Holy Bible. I pray that as I spend time reading Your Word, the promises in this playbook will be written on my heart. Help me apply what I read in my day-to-day life. Amen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Josh Carter

[Big Daddy]

Salty
Thursday, May 16th, 2013

READY:
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."
-Matthew 5:13 (NIV)

SET:
If you run around the soccer field for 90 minutes, you tend to sweat a lot. When you sweat excessively, your body loses much of its natural salt. Without salt in your body, you cannot stay hydrated. Being "salty" is an important part of being able to compete at a high level.

In the same respect, without a relationship with Jesus, you cannot absorb and learn from His Word. Learning God's ways by reading the Bible will impact your approach to competition, but not until you give your life fully to God and accept what His Son did for you on the cross.

If you have never done this, take a moment to pray and thank God for sending Jesus to die on the cross for all that you have ever done wrong. Then ask God to take control of your life. Allowing Jesus to take control might be painful at first (just like putting salt water on an open wound), but the healing and transformation will be incredible-better than you could ever imagine!

Mark 9:50 says, "Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other" (NIV). Mark is comparing the importance of having salt in our bodies with the importance of having God in our lives.

When you give your life to Jesus and let the Holy Spirit work in your life, you will begin to understand God's teachings. You will begin to learn what it means to give God glory in all that you do and to be an example of His love to others. Let the Holy Spirit work inside of you so that those on your team and those watching can see God's love through you.

So how is your "salt" level?

GO:
1. What are your thoughts about giving your life to God?
2. How does God impact your approach to your sport?
3. How might having more salt in your spiritual diet affect the way you compete?

WORKOUT:
Luke 14:34
John 4:4-14
6:35
15:5

OVERTIME:
Father, thank You for sending Your Son to die for my sins. I surrender my life to You.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Amanda Cromwell