Training Camp Part 2

 In my life I've had a number of great counselors, teachers and individuals who have helped with my spiritual growth. All of them have said the exact same thing- keep the Word of God before you on a regular basis, so that's why this one verse over the next 7 weeks should begin to be part of our thinking. This is one of my favorite verses, even before thinking of this renewed set of articles. “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 

In our life journey it's important to have someone to be accountable to at all times. Some people are very self-motivated and don't need much oversight as to accomplishing the daily tasks. They have no need to be motivated, they are ready to go each day as soon as their feet hit the floor. Yet on the other hand, there are those where it's important for them to have someone who keeps them accountable. No matter who you are, everyone reports to someone. And understanding and knowing who is the boss is very important.

In the 80’s a television show, starring Tony Danza 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 there was clearly a leader, it was clearly understood who was in charge, and it didn't take more than a few minutes for that to be self-evident. The moment you were not doing things correct someone was getting your attention, letting you know what was to be expected. It was such a good life lesson . Thankfully, I clearly understood who was the boss. It's important for us in our Christian training to understand who’s the boss.

Whether sports, or life in general, the author of the playbook is really the person who's the boss. A perfect example is…when your automobile is having some kind of mechanical trouble, you take your 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. This is very similar to what God (who's the boss) is offering to us through his playbook and his eternal warranty. He says for us to come to him for diagnosis and repair.

If you owned a brand-new Ford F-150 you would not take it to the Chrysler dealership for warranty repair- they did not make it, they don't know the intricacies of that specific vehicle and they are not the ones who promise to stand behind it if anything goes wrong. It’s the same with our heavenly father who has given us his son as the perfect example of his kingdom and has left us the Holy Spirit to guide us through our journey.

One of the greatest benefits of training camp is to teach us and to remind us through constant repetition how to respond when things do not go according to plan. Life is full of variables and how we interact with one another or the world around us at different times and places, speaks to our game plan training. During training camp those in charge teach the team members how to adjust, because not every game is on a friendly field. A Christian’s journey is rarely accomplished within the four walls of our building. Everybody loves home games, but more of life is accomplished on the oppositions turf. So, my question to you is this: Do you know who the boss is- and more importantly, what He expects from you?