Fruit Of The Spirit Sports Devotional Sample

Leader's Guide Lesson 4: Peace 

Theme:

Peace comes from trusting that God is in control and is bigger than anything we are going through.

Coaches Notes:

It was my junior year of high school. I went to one of those huge Texas high schools where only juniors and seniors are eligible for varsity. I had given up all other sports to solely play baseball, hopefully through high school and into college. There were two significant events I remember from the fall of my junior year. First, I accepted Jesus as my Savior and Lord. No one in my family was a Christian. I had noticed four older players who stood out as different. When one of them invited me to a Fellowship of Christian Athletes breakfast, I went and saw all four guys there. I eventually realized that what made them different was their faith in Christ. Once I realized this, I soon followed and placed my faith in Christ. I wanted to be separate from others and viewed differently. The second thing I remember from my junior year was I worked really hard to make varsity. Twice a day in the summer heat to be ready for the fall season, and every day once school started.

These two things — faith in Christ and working hard — are what gives us peace as Christians. Faith in Christ — trusting Him in all our circumstances — takes the pressure off us. It doesn’t mean we will succeed all the time. But it does mean we know that, even if we don’t succeed, there is a bigger plan and God ultimately is in control of everything in our lives. This should give us peace of mind.

What should also help give us peace of mind is working hard. But we have to be careful what our motivation is for working hard. If it’s to please others — a parent, a coach, or someone else — then we ultimately will only be satisfied if that other person is satisfied. However, we can't control this and there is no peace of mind when we seek others for our self-worth. Yet when we work hard for God, we’re trusting Him with the results. We know He always knows what’s best for us. The Bible says this: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3.23–24).

Discussion Questions:

1. What stresses you? What do you worry about?
2. Why does it make such a difference and give us peace to trust God rather than anything or anyone else? Why does it make such a difference and give us peace to work hard for the Lord rather than for others?

Discussion:

Few words have such differing meanings than the word “peace.” Peace is used to primarily mean the absence of conflict or war. In the 1960s, it was used by hippies as a greeting of coolness with the first two fingers held up. “Peace dude” meant “hey dude, wassup?” More recently, the word “peace” (often combined with the word “out”) can mean goodbye. So, peace now can mean no conflict, hi, or goodbye.

When Paul lists peace as a fruit of the Spirit, he really means none of those things. Biblical peace is peace of mind. Peace in the heart that is deep down inside of us. Where does it come from? God. How do we do get it? By doing two things.

First, we trust God in all our circumstances — big and small. When we trust God, the pressure is taken off us to succeed. For example, if you want to make the team you are trying out for, and don’t, trusting God makes a big difference. If you don’t trust God, you’ll be frustrated you didn’t make it. You may blame the coaches who didn’t choose you. You may act like you didn’t want to make it anyway. If you trusted God, you may not like the decision. But you can still have peace knowing He is in control and must have a different and better plan for you (maybe another team, or taking a break for a time).

Second, we work hard. Jason Witten, one of the best tight ends to ever play in the NFL and a committed Christian, explained in his retirement press conference: “I was never the most talented, never the flashiest, I relied on grit. Other players may have been more talented, but I can assure you — no one was gonna outwork me.” This view is biblical: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3.23–24).

When you work “heartily,” you can rest easy knowing you did your best. When you do the work for God and trust Him with the results, you can rest easy knowing that He’s in charge and has great plans, whether we get the result we want or not. In other words, trusting God and working hard for Him gives us peace.