Coaches! Who needs ‘em!

2 Timothy 3:1-2, 10-17

My experience with high school coaches was not very positive. First off, they always called you by your last name. They couldn’t say Joe; it had to be “Hey Williams”. It wasn’t very friendly. Secondly, they always yelled at you like you had committed the worst unpardonable sin; as if there was something wrong with you personally.

I remember one football practice when I was blocking a defender and the running back ran into me. The coach yelled, “WILLIAMS! WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU!!!” My thought was, “What about the running back. Couldn’t he have run around me instead of into me? Why don’t you yell at him”?  But, like I said, it was a “thought”.

My coaches were never encouraging. Their instructions were always negative; putting you down; saying what was wrong with you. To make things worse, they did this not just to you privately, but in front of the whole team; all of my peers that I wanted to impress... Coaches! Who needs ‘em!

However, Paul was Timothy’s coach. He wrote 2 Timothy while in prison, knowing that his time on earth was short. He wanted to instruct and encourage Timothy in his faith. Here’s what he wrote to his “dear son” in the faith.

¹⁰ You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, ¹¹ persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.

¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.     NIV

Paul was preparing Timothy for ministry by instructing him, in the context of their relationship, while living out his life before him. Granted, scripture is to be used, not just for teaching and encouragement, but also “rebuking and correcting”. But Paul makes the point that this is done in the context of a loving, patient relationship with an eye towards the Lord.

Coaches! Who needs ‘em! We do! Life is full of pit falls, hardships and struggles. You can’t avoid them. How you handle your struggles is what makes the difference. How do you learn from those problems? How do you grow? Who helps you?

Scripture tells us that God disciplines those He loves. He does this through, scripture, relationships and life experiences… even coaches. The struggles of life often provide the greatest opportunity for us to strengthen our faith and grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ.

 Hopefully, each one of us will be able to say with Paul:

 ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith. ⁸ Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.    2 Timothy 4:7-8 NIV

Jesus Delegates, Jesus Supports

When I was perhaps 25, on the job less than a year, my boss went on vacation and made me his “delegate.” I was excited by the prospect.

 After two days, reality hit. I was really a “go-for”; instead of calling my boss for support, others in the organization were now calling me. It was my job to figure out what assistance was required and then to figure out who was best positioned to provide the help.

 Perhaps most important, since I had no real authority, I had to figure out what words to use to motivate my co-worker to follow up with the necessary assistance.

I soon realized being delegate in this case was not all it was cracked up to be.

Today’s reading is Matthew 28:16-20, the Great Commission.

 The Great Commission did not come from God the Son, but rather from God the Father. Jesus tells us that “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” What Jesus is about to say is not what he wants, but rather what his Father wants!

 Jesus continues by delegating his most important responsibility to his disciples – his church – and that includes you and I. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

 Our job is to find and identify those who will be with Jesus for life eternal.

 Yet, there is more. We are to teach, “them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Not only do we find and identify Christians, but we are to teach them what it means to be a Christian.

 Unlike my delegate story above, being a part of Jesus’ delegate story is rewarding. In my story, I had no real authority, but Jesus clearly gives us his Father’s authority to find and train disciples.

 In my delegate story I often felt like I was on my own. As a member of his church, Jesus reminds us, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” We are not on our own; Jesus is there with us.

 Jesus delegates to us; Jesus also empowers and supports us.

1 John 2:15-28

Fight the Good Fight!

We have been told not to fight, or at least not to throw the first punch, but self-defense is acceptable and condoned in most circles. The announcers of a boxing match can be heard using the term “good fight.”  That seems to mean strategic moves are utilized, and the participants are somewhat evenly matched in order to prolong the competition to entertain the audience.

As I read today's words about not loving the world and warning of the antichrists, I heard the words in my head from a song by the group Unspoken. 

The title is “Good Fight” and speaks directly to us from God’s perspective. The lyrics encourage  us to keep fighting and letting God's light shine. The message is that although the world is hard on us and we are under attack, God will never leave us. This fight is one worth fighting and though it is sometimes too much to bear it is a fight God wants us to take part in and win!

In 1 John 2:15-28, John's letter includes words of warning about the world, but also encouragement, support, reassurance, inspiration and hope, just as the lyrics of "Good Fight."

Please listen to the song “Good Fight”

Please read/listen to 1 John 2:15-28

Love One Another

For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. (Romans 14:7-8)

We all know where we are strong in our faith and we recognize also those areas where we can be easily swayed. Our weaknesses generally are unwelcome habits we have struggled to control for a long time. Then too, there are some hang-ups we have overcome; a few worldly issues we have given over to God and no longer deal with their power over us.

There are many habits we work on in our lives in an attempt to break their hold on us. We are all different and therefore struggle over many varied issues. When we are finally able to break the hold a particular sin has on us, we are wise to avoid all occasions of that sin.

We learn to steer clear of certain people who we relate this weak area of ours with. We surround ourselves with people who understand and support us in our new way of living. These two verses from the Book of Romans points out we are not to be stumbling blocks to our brothers and sisters. We are to support them, their new life, their recovery, every way we can.

We all understand that it is difficult to change; it is a struggle to create new ways of thinking and living. Once we establish different and healthier habits, we need the support of one another to maintain our new lifestyle. Let us take this seriously by encouraging our friends and neighbors and perhaps they will do the same for us.

Each day we face new challenges, some may be old habits waiting to win us back. We must remind ourselves daily..."we belong to the LORD."

Romans 14