“Training camp 2” By Pastor Joe

During our “training camp” focus the verse below will be included in every article. I've had a number of great counselors and teachers who have helped grow my spiritual life, all of them have said, keep the word of God before you on a regular basis. Over the next 10 weeks with constant repetition this passage should begin to become part of our thinking. “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it. This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people and particularly of all believers.” 1 Timothy 4:8-10 NLT . A life lesson we all should embrace and pass on is the importance of having someone to be accountable to at all times and vice versa. Some people are very self-motivated and don't need much oversight as to accomplishing daily task. They need no prodding each day when their feet hit the floor. Yet on the other hand there are those (I hover between the two camps) were it's important to have someone who keeps them accountable. This accountability is a

two-way street. No matter who you are, everyone reports to someone. Always remember and never forget that a clear understanding of who is the boss will help you stay successful. A television show from a few years back, was called “Who's the Boss” and my only reference to it is, I like the title. As a young boy playing football in high school, it was clearly understood who was in charge. It didn't take more than a few minutes for that to be self-evident. The moment you were not doing things correctly, someone was getting your attention letting you know what was to be expected. Clearly understanding they were in charge made for a more successful football experience. It's important for us in our Christian training to understand who’s the boss. Just like in football, where they demand the players study the playbook, we as players in God’s training camp need to know His playbook. Whether it is Coach Zimmer, Coach LaFleur, or Coach Dokken, the author of the playbook is really the person who's the boss. If you don’t know these names, you truly have not been paying attention during physical or spiritual training camp. Here is another example, if your automobile is having mechanical trouble, you take the car to the repair shop for diagnosis and repair. Especially when your vehicle is under warranty, you want to make sure you receive the benefit of what you paid for and what the manufacturer is offering each owner. God, who's the boss, is offering to us through His playbook and His eternal warranty, to keep us operating correctly. He tells us, in His playbook, to come to Him for diagnosis and repair. Owners of brand-new Chevrolets would not take their vehicle to a Chrysler dealership for warranty repair. Why? They didn't make it, they don't know the intricacies of that specific vehicle and they don’t promise to honor the warranty if anything goes wrong. Our heavenly Father has given us His Son as the perfect example clearly recorded within our kingdom playbook. He has also left us the Holy Spirit as a guide who brings clarity to each playbook page along our journey. One of the greatest benefits of training camp is getting into game shape. During training camp those in charge teach the team members how to adjust because not every game is at home with thousands of supporters. Much of our Christian journey is not accomplished within the four walls of our building, we do have a number of home games, but more of life happens on the opposition’s turf. So, my question to you is, do you know who's the boss and more importantly what He expects from you?