UNPACK This...Super Bowl LVIIIনমুনা

The 49ers Are Rare

The San Francisco 49ers have been one of the most dominant offensive teams in the NFL all season long, and such production isn’t a surprise given their talented roster.

Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey have been in the conversation for league MVP all season, while Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle combine to form an exceptional trio of receiving options.

San Francisco’s star power is impressive. Perhaps more impressive, however, is the fact that all of these talented individuals have set aside personal ambition to work together for the good of the team.

In an article on Profootballtalk.com, Purdy explained, “I think you have all this, stardom on a team and whatnot, and for everyone to just put the ego aside and be like, ‘Hey, we want to win. We want to win a Super Bowl and we’re going to do what it takes.’ And I think what we all know is what it takes is to put the ego aside.”

What about us? Are we focused on our own stats and “touches,” making sure we get to shine and receive the credit? Or are we following Jesus and asking Him to transform our selfishness into selflessness by valuing the interests of others more than ourselves?

1 Peter 5:5 says, “…Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’”

On the flip side, when there’s selfishness, ego, and a dominant me-focus, we see major problems and the inability to win.

As the Bible states in James 3:16, “For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.”

Today, let’s ask God to reveal the selfishness in our lives and allow Him to help us become less me-focused, so we’ll be willing to let our “teammates” shine.

Let’s enjoy the blessings that come from living an unselfish life as we choose to be more like Jesus, whose selflessness gives us life.

I’m Bryce Johnson, and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I confess I am a selfish person, but I desire to be more like Jesus. Please help me to lay down my selfish ambitions and value others more. I pray You’ll remove my ego and show me the ways I can be more selfless. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.