Gospel-Centered TeammatesChikamu

Johnny was in a great spot. He was well liked and really skilled at whatever he did. Along with being outstanding, he had the additional benefit of knowing the position was guaranteed to be his. He was literally born to do this. You can imagine his shock when he found out it was given to someone else before he even had a chance to prove himself. 

This has nothing to do with sports. 

Johnny was a biblical character referred to as Jonathan. His dad, Saul, was the King of Israel. As his son, Jonathan was the rightful heir to the throne. But don’t imagine him as some stuck-up rich kid. Jonathan was very capable. He would have been a great king, but wasn’t given the opportunity. Rather than complain, Jonathan chose to make the best of the situation. And because of his unselfish attitude, he became one of the greatest teammates this world has ever known. He is a model of a gospel-centered teammate. 

Today starts a 10-day journey where modern day athletes can learn about being a great teammate from his life. 

The first thing we learn from Jonathan is this:

Gospel-centered teammates have ambition

Before David arrives on the scene, we catch a glimpse of the character and ambition of Jonathan in 1 Samuel 14:1. As the son of King Saul, Jonathan has the rights to the throne after his father’s reign is over. He does not have to prove anything. The spot is his. But he is not satisfied by with playing it safe. Without his father’s knowledge—or permission—Jonathan sets a plan in motion to conquer the Philistines. 

Why? Was it because the Philistines had been a thorn in the side of his father Saul for the majority of his time as king? Did Jonathan feel like he had to prove himself? Were his motives actually pure? The truth is we don’t know the real reason he pursued the Philistines. But we do know from this interaction with his armor bearer that Jonathan was anything but passive. When opportunity arose, he response was to take action. 

What does this have to do with being a Gospel-centered teammate? Simple. Gospel-centered teammates are not passive. They have a personal ambition to be the best that they can be because they view their talent as a steward given to them by God. Even if they are the frontrunners for “the spot” on the team, they don’t take it for granted. 

Questions to consider today:

1. How are you taking initiative to get better as an athlete right now?
2. In what areas of your life as an athlete do you have to fight the feeling of entitlement?
3. On a scale of 1-10, how are you currently stewarding the athletic gift you have been given?