Sometimes in this thing we call life we need to go “back to the basics.” Vince Lombardi was one of the winningest coaches in National Football League history. He was a fanatic about fundamentals. Those who played under his leadership often spoke of his intensity, his drive, his endless enthusiasm for the game. Time and again he would come back to the basic techniques of blocking and tackling. On one occasion his team, the Green Bay Packers, lost to an inferior squad. It was bad enough to lose, but to lose to that team was absolutely inexcusable. Coach Lombardi called a practice the very next morning. The men sat silently, looking more like whipped puppies than a team of champions. They had no idea what to expect from the man they feared the most. Gritting his teeth and staring holes through one athlete after another, Lombardi began:
“OK, we go back to the basics this morning…”
Holding a football high enough for all to see, he continued, yelling:
“Gentlemen, this is a football!”
How basic can you get? The coach has men sitting in front of him who’ve been on the gridiron for 15 to 20 years, and he’s introducing them to a football! That’s like saying, “Maestro, this is a baton.” or “Librarian, this is a book.” or “Chef, this is a skillet.” Talk about the obvious! Why would Coach Lombardi state the obvious? Because he believed that excellence could be best achieved by working on the basics of the sport. His strategy for playing football was to know your position, learn to do the right thing, and then do it with all of your might. What works in the game of football works in life.
A new year is a time for a fresh start. Are there some things in your life that need improving, such as family relationships, finances, health? Someone said, “You’re never too old to learn!” That can be true of you in 2015! Suppose you were starting life all over. You’re now old enough to have learned some of life’s hard lessons—how to live, how to love, and how to forgive. The older you are, the more you understand that quaint but true saying: “The best things in life aren’t things.” For all of us, 2015 is a new year—a clean slate! How will you write the story of your life this new year?
An employee complained to his supervisor that he kept getting passed over for a promotion. In frustration, he said, “I have 10 years of experience!” His supervisor countered, “You have one year’s experience 10 times.” Sad to say, that employee was not growing in his work experience. So it is in life—we all want the quality of our life to grow. The apostle Paul wrote, “…but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day” 2 Corinthians 4:16. God wants to give each one of us His strength, joy, and life.
Life is like a dollar bill; you can spend it any way you want to, but you can spend it only once. You have only two ways to spend money: you can waste it or you can invest it. That’s also true of your relationships, your time, and your finances. Whether you’re young or old, 6 or 60, healthy and wealthy, or puny and poor, you can make the rest of your life the best of your life…if you look to God and His Holy Word for guidance and strength.
Our new series of Bible messages for 2015 has been prepared to help you start the new year on the right foot. You can renew your soul and your relationships. If you want some encouragement on how to set the proper priorities in life and order your daily schedule, then join us on Sunday mornings at 9 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. We will be learning how to apply biblical principles for renewing our walk with God and cultivating our most important relationships in life.
When we apply biblical priorities to daily life, we can learn how to balance all of the many demands we face each day. God’s Word can guide you on how to have a disciplined life and bring a fresh joy and passion to your schedule.
Here’s an overview of the messages planned for January and February:
January 18 Renew Your Daily Schedule
February 1 Renew Your Discipline
February 8 Renew Your Accountability
February 15 Renew Your Balance
February 22 Renew Your Love for God
March 1 Renew Your Prayer Life
March 8 Renew Your Passion
Come join us, and let’s be reminded together from the Word of God about the basics that make for a great life!
Author: Editor
Community Connection is an outreach magazine and blog from Valley Forge Baptist to provide relevant and uplifting articles for the families and homes of Collegeville, PA and area residents. Articles are not just from staff but from other community members who’s lives have been touched by Jesus Christ. If we have been an encouragement to you please let us know at info@vfbt.org.
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