God First
But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides. Matthew 6:33 (AMP)
Being an athlete, it is very easy to put your sport and conditioning first, before anything else. You think, to be the best, you have to spend more time practicing and conditioning than the competition. To a degree, that is right. However, there are many other factors involved in being the best in your sport, but none more important than what you give first place in your life.
All athletes and coaches like to think of themselves as being disciplined, but are you disciplined enough to read your Bible and pray daily? Can you be disciplined enough to put God first? Our heavenly Father cares more about us then we know. He cares about how we perform in our sport. His desire is to give us what we desire. However, we must put Him first in our lives – above practice, above team mates, above all else, our relationship with Him should be first. After all, if we believe what He said in Matthew 6:33 1, then all the things we desire in this life will be given to us by Him.
The Bible says in Psalm, “Who has prepared and done this, calling forth and guiding the destinies of the generations [of the nations] from the beginning? I, the Lord-the first [existing before history began] and with the last [an ever-present, unchanging God]-I am He.” 2 He is God. He knows everything there is to know about us. So, spend time in studying His Word and praying, and ask Him what you can do to be a better player or coach. He does hear you, and He will answer you. You’ll have to put forth the effort to do what He says, but once you know what He has told you to do, then nothing can stop you!
Personal Application: “God Helped Me Get It Right”
When I was a player, there were a lot of temptations to fight through – like drinking, partying and staying up until all hours of the night, and taking unnecessary risks. There were so many other things competing for my attention rather than putting God first. But God, in all His wisdom, helped me to stay away from those temptations. He showed me what one bad decision could not only do to my basketball career, but also could do to the rest of my life. By taking the time to stop and listen to that inward witness, I was able to steer clear of making bad decisions and stay on the right track. I did not like the picture I saw of my future if I would have let go and given in to temptations. God is good and is always looking out for us!
The Challenge:
Do you have the courage to stand up and live for God, putting Him first in everything you do? Do you have the courage to say “no” to temptations that will take you down the wrong path?
Other subjects covered in this devotional include:
Selfless,
The Same Attitude,
Improving Your Game,
Daily Habits.