Get into the Game!

Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle.  (Psalm 144:1)

Whenever I go to watch a football game, I notice that there are typically three kinds of players on the football team. First of all, there are the players on the field who are engaged in the battle. They are doing everything that they have been trained to do. They received the jersey, and they have spent hours and hours running plays and practicing. They have been working on blocking, tackling, catching the ball, kicking the ball, running it down the field; and generally working together as a team. Now, they are out there on the field together.

Then, there is a group of players on the sidelines with the coaches. Wherever the head coach goes, a player follows. The different coaches and players are right there on the sidelines. They are intently watching the game; the players are engaged and they are looking to be sent into the game. They can't wait to be sent in and they are walking the sidelines with the coaches. They want to make sure the coaches see them and that they are ready to get into the game.

Finally, there is another group. This is a group of players who have the right jersey. These players have been training; they have been on the practice field and they know the plays. They are ready, but they are on the bench. Have you ever watched many of those on the bench? They aren’t watching the field! They are not even engaged in the game. They are often talking to each other, laughing, and telling jokes. They are talking about what is happening in their life. They are there, but they aren’t focused on the game.  

Have you been on the bench when it comes to your faith? You know Christ and you have been following Him for some time. You know the plays, but you are sitting on the bench, and you are not completely engaged. If this is true for you, I pray that you would allow the Spirit of God to speak to you today because He has a plan for your life. He wants you to be fully engaged, ready for Him to use for His Kingdom's work. This is not the time for any believer to sit on the bench. It is time to stand up and get into the game!

Posted in
Posted in , ,

No Comments


Recent

Archive

 2024

Categories

Tags

Kingdom abandoned abandoning abandon ability abondoned abundant acceptable acceptance accepted accepting accept accomplishment accomplish accordance accountable acknowledge actions activity addiction admitting admit adoration advancing advice affection affirmation afraid aligned aligning align alive allowedd allowed allowing allow almighty altered amazing amount anxiety anxious appeared appearing apply approaching approach argument arrogant assurance assures assure attend attention attentive attitude audience authority banished baptized beaituful behaviors behavior beieve beliefs belief believed believeibng believerrs believers believer believes believe believing belong benefits biblical blend blessed blesses blessings blessing bless blossomed bond borrowed brokenhearted burdens burden burial buried capable captivated careful cares care caring carving celebrate challenges chance change changing charges charge choose choosing churches church claiming clarity climate combat comfortable comforting comfort commanded commandment commands command commitment committed commit communicate communicating communion community companionship companion compared comparing comparisons compassion competition complete complicated compliment comprehend compromised compromise concerned concerning concerns concern conclude confessed confess confidence confident conflicts conflict confrontation confronting confused confusion connected connection connect conquered consider consistent contact contentment content context contradict control conversation convicting conviction convict convinced convince corrected correcting courageous cover created create creation critical crucial crucified crucifixation crucify culture cure curiosity customers daily death decided decide declaration dedicated defend deflection deliberate delivers denomination denying departure depression describe description deserved deserves deserve desie designed desired desires desire desiring despite desrtuction destination destiny destruction determine devastated develop devoted devotional devotion dictates dictate difference different difficult directing direction directly direct disappeared disappoint disciples disciple disconenct discouraged discovered discover discuss display disruptions distance dividend educated education effort eliminated embrace embracing emotional emotions emotion emplower employer empower encoraged encounter encouraged encouragement encouragers encourages encourage encouraging encouragment endured endure energy engaged engagement engage engaging enjoyed enjoys enjoy enouragements enslaved ensure equation equip eternal eternity ethical evaluate everlasting evil example excited excitement exciting excluded expand expectations expectation expected experiences expression express extended faithfully faithfulness faithful faith family famous favor fearful fear feelings feeling fellowship finisher finish fire focused focusing focus followed followers follower following follow fooled forgave forgiveness forgiven forgive forgiving fortunate forward foundation founders freedom free freidnships fresh friendship friends frustrated fulfilled fulfillment fullness future gathering gave generation generosity generous genuine gifts gift given givers giver give giving glady glad glimpse glorfiy glorified glorify glorious glory godly goodness gospel goverment grace gracious grateful gratitude grave gravity grieve grope growing growth grow guidance guided guides guiding guilty guilt handling happiness happy hardship healed healing health heal hearing heartbreak hearts heart heaven help hesitate holy honest honorably honored honoring honors honor hoped hopefulness hopeful hopeless hopes hope hoping horror humanity humbly identified identifies identify identity ignited ignorant ignore imagine immature impacted impactful impact impatient importance important impossible including inevitable influence information inherent innocent inspiration inspired inspires instance instant intended intensity intentional intentions interceding interesting interest interpretations intimately intimate intrude investment invitation invite itimacy jogging journey joyful joy justifying knowing knowledge known laborers labor leadership leaders leader leading lead leaning learning learn legacy lonely longing lordship loved loves love loving manipulate marriage married mature mediator meditate meditation membership members memeber memorable memory merciful mercy message mindful minds minister ministry miracles miracle miraculous missing mission moment motive moun notice nourished nourishment obedience obedient obey obligation observer observe offering operate opinions opportunities opportunity oppressed outcome overcome overcoming overpowered overpower overwhelmed overwhelming ownership painful parenting partnership passage passing passion pastors path patient peace peae perception perfectly perfect perform perishing perish persecuted perseverance personally personal perspective persuade plan pleasing political pondering positioned position possibility powerful power praised praises praiseworthy praise praising prayed prayerful prayers prayer praying pray preached preachers preacher preaching preach prepared prepare presence present preserves pressure prevent pride primary principle proactive probelm problem process proclaim produce productive promised promises promise promote prophicies prosperous prosper protecting protection protect proud proved prove provides provide providing provision purify purity purposes purpose pursuing raises raise realized realize realizing reassured rebelling rebellion receive recieved recover recuperation redeems redeem redemption redemptive referring reflection refuse reignite rejected relationships relationship religion religious remedy remember remembrance reminds renewal renewing repeated repentance repent represent resisted resisting resist resolution respect responsibility rest resurrection retreat return revealing reveals righteous ritual royalty running sacrifice safest safe salvation satisfied satisfies satisfy saved save saving scriptual scripture secured security seeking seek selfish sensitive seperated seperate seperation sermon servants servant served server serve service serving shame shaping share sharing showed significance silence silent sinful sinless sinners sinner sin solve soul speaking speak spiraling spirirt spiritually spiritual spirit spread srve stability standards standing strengthen strength stressed stressful stress strong struggles struggle struggling submit substain successful success suffering supply supported supportive support surrendered surrender surrounding surround survived talents teachable teachers teaches teachings teaching teach tears temptaions temptation tempted testify thoughtful thoughts through thrown together tolerance tradition transformed translation treat trouble troubling true truly trusted trusting trustworthy trust truth trutyh unbelievers uncomfortable understand unshamed utilize validation valuable values value verbally victory violated vulnerable waiting wants watchful willingly willing wisdom wise witnessed witness wonderful wondering wonder worried worrying worry worshipping worship worthy wrath