In Matthew 8:19-22, it would seem that Jesus was heartless and uncaring with the disciple. The reality was that Jesus had need of him at that moment, but the young man’s current condition or situation kept him from committing to God. What present situations or conditions keep us from God? What will we miss by not following Him today? What have we already missed by not choosing Him before?

The sweet reality is that God knows us and is well acquainted with our circumstances and conditions. If we always waited for the most appropriate time to come to God, we may never come at all.

Christian coaches are called to use their gifts for the glory of God and His kingdom. When we are generous with our talent and work to set an example of faithful stewardship, we allow our team to witness God at work in our lives. As coaches it is important that we make a point of guiding our teams away from the turmoil that comes through envy and selfish ambition.

If you are reading this, it is likely that you are a coach. However, whether you are a coach, a parent, or an athlete, you are involved in relationships. One of the most encouraging aspects of relationships is the exchange of compliments—genuine, from-the-heart compliments that don’t patronize, but let someone know that he or she is valued. Coaches sometimes neglect to show their appreciation for the players who sit on the bench. We get so wrapped up with the starters that we fail to let those less talented or less experienced know just how much we’re thankful that they’re on the team.

Let’s consider who has had the biggest influence on our athletic careers. Has there been more than one person who has made a significant impact on our abilities as athletes? First Corinthians 3:6 speaks about compounded influence.

In Paul’s first letter to his friends in Corinth, he used a familiar farming illustration. Let’s turn Paul’s farming comparison into a sports analogy.

Growing an athlete is like growing crops. There’s obvious collaboration among those who plant, cultivate, irrigate, and harvest. In the same way, growing a champion involves the compounding influences of parents, coaches, teammates, opponents, and so on.

Ask a coach to list the qualities of a complete player and discipline is always in the list. A disciplined player has a work ethic that sets him or her apart. He or she makes a strong player, but not always a strong person. It’s amazing how many NFL players leave the league bankrupt, divorced, or addicted to alcohol or other drugs. While many NFL players show extreme discipline athletically, some show little discipline in their moral decisions and relationships. The quality they lack is self-control.

Athletes and coaches often think that winning is everything, but truthfully, it is not. A person's attitude--win or lose--helps determine true winners and losers.

Friday night at a high school football game, I saw something that doesn’t happen very often: an offense had a first-and-goal opportunity at the one-yard line and they failed to score. The opposing defense came up big and made a huge stand to prevent the touchdown that probably would have lost them the game.

In life, how often do we feel like we're down-and-out, like Satan and his team have marched the ball straight down the field until they're standing with first-and-goal on our one-yard line just about ready to punch it in and score? Often, when we're at our weakest, winning seems impossible. The devil attacks hoping for the easy kill.

NBA Player, Chauncey Billups, said, “To be a good leader, at some point you have to be a good follower. I was always a good follower. I always followed the right people and listened to the right things.
Those helped shape me as a leader.” So, are you a good follower?

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard “Are you a leader or a follower?” when I was growing up. A subtle principle was communicated through that question: “be a leader not a follower!”