Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Warming Up


Read: Isaiah 40:28-31

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.                                                                                                        Isaiah 40:31

     Basketball is many people’s favorite sport. For that reason, many people have played on some type of basketball team. They know the thrill of scoring a basket, the joy of hearing the crowd cheer the team on, and the excitement of winning a game. Whether they were part of a good team or not, whether they ever scored a point or not, every team member was involved in one thing – warm-ups. No team ever sits on the bench chatting and laughing with each other as a way to get completely ready for the game. They get out on the court with a basketball and try to warm up for the game. Lay-ups, three-pointers, free throws – every team has a different routine, but they all do something to get their blood flowing before they are called out to the start of the game. It would be foolish not to prepare. Starting a game with no warm-up is risking injury, poor performance, and an easy loss.
     How is it then, that a lot of young people see life any differently than that? How can they expect to go into the world and perform at a high level in life when it is time for them to begin their life’s work if they have never prepared themselves? Waiting on God does not mean doing nothing. Even a basketball team understands the importance of staying busy in preparation for the “real” game. A young man’s life is no different. You may be waiting for God to show you where to go to college, who to marry, or what His will is for the rest of your life. Whatever it is, you should be busy in preparation so you will be ready to go when God finally reveals those things to you.
     There are some important things you can do to be “actively waiting.” The most important is to spend time with God – make sure that your spiritual life is in order or nothing else can be. Secondly, you should get the best education you can. Study hard in school, take your classes seriously, and soak up every bit of the preparation. You don’t know what direction God will lead you, and you need to be prepared for anything He has. Lastly, you must be busy in service to God. Go on visitation with your church, and jump into any ministry you can.
     A coach is not likely to put a player into the game who is either goofing off during warm-ups or just relaxing on the bench. Your Coach is looking for serious players who are preparing themselves to perform at their best level when the time comes for the “game” to start. Are you preparing yourself?


Quote of the day: “There is no greater act of worship than giving God all of you.”





No comments:

Post a Comment