October 6 Ready! Break!

Do you belong to a team? Some who read this might be in a low spot and think that they do not belong. Regardless of your initial thought, give some attention to just how many teams you might belong to. Consider your family, the people of your company or division, your city, state, or nation.

I think that there are many teams that we might belong to. Our teams are important because we are tied together, at least mentally, bound to one another for a purpose. How has your teams’ spirit been doing lately? Is everyone on the same team moving in the same direction?

Or might it be that a team member or two might not be carrying the load they have been asked to perform? As the leader of the team, maybe it is time for a huddle, a time out or even a halftime break. In the world of professional sports, it is common to see a player huddle up when a player has something to celebrate.

It would be interesting to see a study done to compare how often the team or players huddle up when there is a failure. My intuition leads me to believe that it is easier to huddle to celebrate rather than after a failure. We like to avoid pain and even avoid experiencing others’ pain.

When the pass is dropped or misplayed on your team, do you huddle up and encourage one another? Who needs some attention from your team? How about you? Leaders find a way to huddle regardless of the circumstances. They find a way to be accountable for the huddle. What is the first thing that you can do about it in the next seven days?

As brothers and sisters in faith, we are definitely different. We act differently, we are built differently, and we even communicate differently. But even so, we claim to be on the same page when it comes to Jesus Christ. We belong to him. But where might your connection with others be broken?

We read, “Long ago you broke off your yoke and tore off your bonds; you said, ‘I will not serve you!'...” Jeremiah 2:20 NIV. Many times, our brokenness has been our choice. Not good or not bad necessarily, but a choice. If you have broken a bond, or are separated from a team, you might be missing something very valuable.

Think about your teams that support your walk with Christ. Do you have more than one? If not, why not? Why would we as followers of Jesus only have one team and yet participate on so many worldly teams? I will bet there are some other followers that would team up with you so as to walk closer to Christ.

We read in the New Testament about the team that Jesus assembled. He recruited twelve disciples to join him. He formed a team as a way that we can copy. His team changed over time and so will ours. Even after Jesus left the earth, the team still continued on.

The team expanded and even brought in some new members that used to be avoided, like Paul. How might you be accountable to expand your team before the new year? What is the first thing that you can do about it in the next seven days?

Let us pray, Father God, thank you for creating such teams that we have in our lives. Empower us to do good works, spread your love and to have great words with one another. Make our team successes honor you and all the glory be given to you. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen,