Key Verse
"For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him."
(Matthew 25:29)
Central Truth
God has given each of us talents and abilities to use to glorify Him and to bring others to His kingdom. Don’t bury your abilities. Use them. Use them in a way to honor Christ.
SUCCESS
As a coach, one of my biggest “pet peeves” is an athlete wasting his talent or not performing up to his potential. Our goal is to use what God has blessed us with to the best of our ability to bring honor and glory to Christ, being an example to all who see us on and off the athletic field. Each season, usually several times a season, our athletes get reminded of this. I usually remind them in a “not-so-nice” way on the field; then I will use a devotional to better explain my point in the locker room before practice. When I do this, I generally use The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30).
Oddly enough, it simplifies it for them because Talent (the money) = Talent (their ability). God has blessed us all with talents – some more than others. In Matthew 25, the master gave one servant five talents, another servant two talents, and the other one only one talent. The servant who was given five talents “put his money to work” and gained five more, as did the servant who was given two, but the servant who was given one talent dug a hole and buried his master’s money so no one could see it or take it away. When the master returned, he praised the two that had put their talents to work and scolded the one who had done nothing.
The point I try to get across to our players is about SUCCESS. One of the first things I did in 2007 when I really began my personal relationship with Jesus is to redefine my definition of success. I found it in the back of my FCA Coaches Bible in a devotional. Success is defined here as “peace of mind that is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming”. We no longer talk in terms of winning or losing. We talk about being successful, everyday and in every area of our lives. And when we get 50 players in our program trying to be successful (by definition) everyday, our program grows stronger – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
And that is what God wants. He wants us to use our talents and abilities that he has blessed us with to be great people who enjoy living for Him and use those talents to promote His Kingdom.
God wants us to be good ... not average. He wants us to be great ... not just good. That’s why he praises the servants who doubled their talents in Matthew 25 and scolded the one who did not improve.
So when we work or play, our focus is on bringing glory to God by being successful – by doing our best with the talents he has blessed us with. And we give thanks for what God has blessed us with and for the opportunities He has given us.
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As a parent, I too, am a "coach" and hate it when I see my children not living with the enthusiasm of life and using their God given "talents". I have to say, however, that I must not, as easy as it is, get confused about what God's idea of "successfuless" is and what mine and the world's are. I might think it is good grades, (which, of course, if done to grow wiser and smarter for the use of my talents....can be a God Goal), or I might think it is "honors" from the "audience" of life....(which if received for the right things while using my "abilities".... like character, mercy, love for others, forgiveness...IS a God Goal of Success). Using our talents to show how "talented" WE are does not hit the target......God's Target. It is hard sometimes to remember that God's idea of "talent success" is quoted by Jesus in verses 35-40. This is us at God's best. (showing Mercy, Visiting the sick and imprisoned,(lonely), clothing the poor, feeding the hungry, taking in (being kind) to a stranger...telling others in love about HIM.) These are the things we should teach our children to "be"....and they will be "successful". The world sometimes does not look at these things as being "successful" or using our "talents".
ReplyDeleteAnd hopefully the lessons they learn on the baseball field (and locker room) will one day transfer to their lives, where they can be a more "true" success for Christ.
ReplyDeleteAmen! I returned to this post to add a clarifying thought to my first post because I didn't want you to think that I didn't approve of all that you said. I totally agree with your idea of successfulness. I think I was just thinking about how much of the "world" does not recognize God's type of success, but instead substitutes "self glory" for who is really important. I appreciate Men like you who teach kids the "other side" of True success.
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