Ready:
“Be diligent to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.” — 2 Timothy 2:15
“And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” — Colossians 3:17
Set:
Every athlete has a hero in the sports world. We work hard at imitating and copying their style and mannerisms to be better, faster, and stronger in our play. Maybe it’s Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player of all time, or Usain Bolt, the greatest sprinter of all time, or Jackie Joyner–Kersee, one of the greatest female athletes in track and field history, or Michael Phelps, the most successful and most decorated Olympian of all time, or Lionel Messi, one of the greatest soccer players of all time.
Imagine what it could be like in our daily living if we were imitating and copying a person of complete excellence – the best kind of hero! Jesus Christ is the only one who is complete excellence. Imitating Jesus is the absolute best thing to do in all areas of our lives. Excellence is about continued, repeated actions. It is consistently doing the right things, doing what is proper and what is acceptable. It is not a push for perfection but a daily mindset of thinking and doing right things. Think right and do right. It’s about the daily habits of excellence that transform your life and build you into a person of greater excellence. Just like the hero athletes we follow and try to imitate, we need to continue daily, working hard to practice specific elements of that person and sport, to improve and get better.
The Old Testament hero, Joseph, is a strong example of a daily mindset of imitating God. The result and impact through the years was amazing and powerful. Joseph was a person of excellence. Joseph served his master, Potiphar, with excellence. His daily practice of his commitment to God in thoughts and actions resulted in multiplied excellence and true success. There was consistency, grit, determination, resiliency and faithfulness in choosing to think and do what was right. (Read Genesis 39:1-6 to see a portion of the story of Joseph and Potiphar.)
Go:
Who is your sports hero and what are a few things you do to imitate them?
How does practicing the right things help you get better and improve in your sport?
Name three things you do to practice excellence in your habits.
Workout:
Overtime:
“Lord Jesus, thank You for Your perfect and complete excellence in everything You are and everything You do. I want to be like You, and I need Your help. Give me grace, patience, grit and determination to keep working consistently to think right and do the right things. I want to honor You with my life. In your name, Jesus. Amen.”