Fruit Of The Spirit Sports Devotional Намуна

Leader's Guide Lesson 11: Against Such Things, There is Not Law 

Theme: 

It is always right to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit.

Coaches' Notes:

If you’ve reached Lesson 11, it means you’ve done this whole study. Thanks so much for doing it! I hope your players have enjoyed seeing just how empowered we are as Christians to stand out and act differently from the rest of the world. It can be hard for kids to be comfortable with the concept of standing out as Christians in a worldly environment where blending in can feel safer. But growing into our true selves means being who we are. As a Christian, this means bearing fruit and standing out as different (in a good way).

I hope this study was not only an eye-opener for your players but also for you as a coach. I hope you’ve grown in your faith from this study. I hope you have tried to bear more fruit and work on consistently living out these fruit of the Spirit, on and off the field. Living this way will certainly make you stand out as a coach, and your team will probably reflect a set of values that many coaches don’t prioritize. But that’s ok, we live for God, not man. And this is a good teaching opportunity to explain to your players how proud you are that they exhibit different characters.

Standing out as a Christian is very personal to me. It’s how I became a Christian. As I said earlier, it’s through four older players taking me under their wings and bearing fruit, that I became a Christian. I didn’t know originally what made them different, I just knew they were. Once I realized what made them different, I wanted what they had. I’ve been trying to stand out as a Christian and bear fruit ever since. Sometimes I’ve done it well. Sometimes I haven’t. Thank God for His grace in saving me, and for continuing to work in me. As the Bible says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2.8–10). Thank God that He is continuing to work in me, and you, and your players.

Discussion Questions:

1. Challenge the players to memorize the fruit of the Spirit for the last session. Offer a reward if they come to practice and are able to recite it.
2. Have players recall at least one thing they learned from this study. Something beyond listing the fruit of the Spirit — an example or practical way to live this out from the study. Challenge them to continue trying to live differently and stand out by bearing fruit.

Discussion: 

Certain absolutes in life make sense. 2+2=4. Always. No exceptions. But when it comes to behavior and doing things, we can get in trouble with claiming absolutes. An absolute usually comes with an “always” or a “never.” Here are a few examples: We should always make our bed in the morning. Always? What if there is a snake on your bed? You should always look both ways before crossing the street. What if immediately to your right is a dead-end brick wall? I never argue balls and strikes as a coach. I rarely do, but my players and parents might be able to point out an example here and there. 

You see, when it comes to behavior and doing things, absolutes are rarely, well, absolutes. Which makes the conclusion of Paul laying out the fruit of the Spirit worth discussing. Paul has laid out 9 fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Then he states an absolute: “against such things there is no law.”

Rephrased in the negative, it would say “it is never against the law to do such things.” Rephrased in the positive, it would say “it’s always good or right to do such things.” Is that really true? Aren’t there exceptions? The world says yes; as Christians, we say no.

For example, is it always right to love? When it comes to people, yes. We are called to love people, always. We can hate what they do, we can hate evil, but we’re called to love people. Always. Why? “We love because he [God] first loved us” (1 John 4.19). The other fruits of the Spirit are always right to exhibit for similar reasons. Because to act this way is in line with God’s character and how He treats us.

Notice Paul doesn’t phrase the absolute as “when we do this, we always benefit.” That wouldn’t be true. Sometimes being kind doesn’t benefit us. Mean people may be mean in response to kindness. What Paul says, instead, is it’s always right to do these things, regardless of how others respond to it.

Love others. Live with joy, peace, and patience. Extend kindness. Do good. Have enduring faithfulness. Be gentle. Exhibit self-control. How often? Always. Why? Because God said so, and because God treats you this way.