Daily Wisdom for MenSample

Engage God

Coach Buckley’s football practices were brutal. I was only eleven, but I still remember them to be grueling, agonizing, and dreadful. The trademark practices had tons of running and repetitive drills, all without scrimmaging. Many players wouldn’t make it through the practices without losing their lunch, and many of them quit. Even my best friend left the team; his parents pulled him. Although the sacrifice was great, the return was sweet. We earned a perfect season; no team even scored on us. The Braddock Road Sharks brought fear to all eleven-year-olds who dared to play football.

Our practices were not marked by complexity but by simplicity. Drills, drills, and more drills. We went over the basics in every practice. Coach Buckley stressed the fundamentals of the game and of each position. Those were the keys to our success.

If fundamentals are the key to success on sports teams, then what are the fundamentals of being on God’s team? What are the basics our head coach, Jesus Christ, wants us to focus on?

Engage God, no matter what.

In Matthew 6:33, Jesus shared the key to success. He said the first thing—the most important thing, the only thing—is to seek the Father. Jesus modeled this as He engaged His Father every day. It was not optional. It was a must. If you want clarity and spiritual success in your life, then start with the Word of God. Focus on the spiritual fundamentals.

Father, I ask You to make my relationship with You plain and simple. Teach me the simplicity of picking up Your Word and engaging You daily. Amen.