Go team

Mike Wuenscher found this devotional, which relates to our Better Together Community theme


Go Team!
Posted: 14 Nov 2008 01:00 AM CST
By Jon Walker

Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13–14 (NIV)

You were God’s first choice for your place on his team, but being part of God’s squad requires you to shoulder the responsibilities of team membership. You’re no longer playing as if you’re a team of one.

When teams work together, they become more than just a group of individuals; they move in unity with one heart and one mind, a model of oneness with God.

Teams build on the strength of each player and they adjust so that individual weaknesses become irrelevant. A unified team understands that what affects one team member also affects every team member, and so they dig in deep to commitment.

On God’s team, when one teammate stumbles, other team members step into the gap, physically and spiritually; when one teammate’s faith falters, other teammates stand firm in their faith, confident and encouraging that God will guide and provide.

A team of Jesus-ones challenge each other to “press on toward the goal to win the prize” (Philippians 3:14 NIV). They build each other up, carry each other’s burdens, and celebrate one another’s success, whether large or small, collective or individual.

As we teammates are learning to love one another, God mixes our talents, abilities, spiritual gifts, personalities, and experiences into a supernaturally-charged recipe that will create a massive explosion of Jesus-action-and-energy.

God didn’t give us gifts just to sit and watch from the sidelines. You’re part of the team; get into the game and see God stretch you “heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14 NIV).

If you’d like to receive these devotionals regularly, you can sign-up at www.gracecreates.com/subscribe/. Jon Walker writes from www.gracecreates.com. He is a Zondervan author, and the former writer/editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-Line Devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2008 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.