We live in a world where words like selfie and self-help have found their way into our daily vocabulary and our personal mantra may include “If it is to be it is up to me”. In the sports world, we have entered the era of NIL where our focus tends to be on MY name, MY image, MY likeness. What would it look like if followers of Christ AND coaches/athletes used our platform and the game we play/coach to share HIS name, HIS image, and His Likeness? One of the first steps of being a disciple of Christ is learning how to be Christ-centered in a me-centered world.
Warm-Up:
How have you witnessed self-centeredness impact the sports world?
Read Galatians 2:20. What does this verse teach us about self-centered vs Christ centered?
What does a Christ-Centered disciple look like to you?
Workout:
John the Baptist was a leader who found himself with a lot of followers. He taught the importance of repentance, turning away from our path of selfish desires and turning towards God’s path of holiness. He taught the importance of baptism, the outward reflection of an inward transformation of a person’s heart toward the Lord. He taught that the Messiah, the Christ was coming and eventually before baptizing Jesus, declared, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I told you about, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me’” (John 1:29-30). John had followers.
John had influence. It would have been easy for John to become self-focused and self-centered because so much attention was given to him. But John knew and understood to be a leader for Christ, he first had to be follower of Christ. We see this play out in John 3 when there was a little disagreement. John’s followers came to him and said, “Rabbi, the one you testified about and who was with you across the Jordan, is baptizing and everyone is going to him” (John 3:26).
What about us? What about me? All the attention is on someone else beside me.
As a disciple of Jesus, John tells his disciples, “No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him’” (John 3:27).
He is teaching them and us…IT’S NOT ABOUT ME. John is not God, he is just supposed to live in such a way that points others to God. We are not God, we are just supposed to play, coach and live in such a way that points others to God.
Wrap-Up:
Do you see yourself more in John's disciples or John the Baptist?
Read the prayer in Psalm 139:23-24. Ask the Lord to reveal the ways you been self-focused instead of Christ-centered.