Hey everybody. Hope you all are having a good week. I honestly just can't wait for the weekend. This week is a rollercoaster of feelings. Well, here is a devotion from the nice people over at www.yfc.org about leadership. Sorry about the background, I tried everything I know to do to get it to go away, but it would not stop having a white background. Oh well, hope you guys enjoy it!
This year I began to coach a Junior High Soccer team. With it come many joys, defeats, and emotions. Toward the beginning of the season we saw a real leader emerge from our team. We appointed her captain because, she had true joy and enthusiasm for the sport and her piers, respected by all, a voice that the entire team listened, and She was a natural leader.
As the weeks moved on she saw that many of her team mates had scored goals. She began to think that goals was the glory of our team. She playing in the center of our field had shown true leadership and had a huge voice on the team.
Jealousy creped in.She lost sight of her key position on our team, because her emotions got the best of her. She chose to defy her coaches and and left the team stunded as to why she didn't trust us. Moments later we took her out of the game, she was in tears but still had not grasped the reality of what was most important, she was a leader on this team, and had become a poor example to her teammates.
God's Story
1 Timothy 4:12
New International Version
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.
What does Today's God's Story Scripture teach us about being an example?
God calls us to set an example, but what does that mean in our lives? Timothy was young in his ministry and life and these words spoken to he say a lot. Five large areas of life that are given to Timothy to focus on: Speech, conduct, Love, Faith, and in Purity. These are areas were even adults struggle in. The advantage is God is calling attention to this at his young age so that he might grasp and hold on to this deep knowledge at a young age as something to be striving for, as well as give him the courage to see that if he upheld these 5 things that he could hold his head up high as a respectful person.
My Story
How can I connect today's God's Story to my life?
What does it mean to you to set an example? Are you allowing your emotions to get in the way of the example you set for your friends, or teammates, or classmates? Take some time this week to ask God, and spend time dwelling on:
Lord do I set an example in:
Do I set and EXAMPLE in my Speech?
Do I set and EXAMPLE in my Conduct?
Do I set and EXAMPLE in Love?
Do I set and EXAMPLE in My Faith?
Do I set and EXAMPLE in Purity?
Take time with each one and allow God to speak to your heart and lead you on which area God is proud of you in. Pick one that God has especially laid on your heart and make that your focus this week. Come back to the reality of being a captain...what has God made you a captain in?
Their Story
How can I connect today's Story, God's Story, & My story to others?
As you have spent time with "you and God" as you have been working on things in your life begin a journey of living it out for your friends. See that you are a leader, that you set an example. appologise for times when your ego, or pride got in the way of you being real with your friends.
