Back To Basics

Back to Basics

You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word.

Hebrews 5:12

Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi never knew the word can’t. He refused to make the game of football complicated when it could really be boiled down to just a few basics—passing, receiving, blocking, tackling, running. But these basic skills had to be done with unfettered abandon in order to win the game.

Lombardi often said, “You do all those things right, you win. It’s a matter of the basics. You have to concentrate on the basics.”

As he faced a ragtag bunch of discouraged rookies and tired has-beens, his flashing eyes danced from face to face of his Green Bay Packers. His lips were drawn tight across his teeth. His words were clipped and forceful. He did not fool around. He was as tough as a mountain man in a Colorado blizzard. And his job was simple—take that bunch of “losers” and turn them into a championship team. No small chore, but one he was determined to do.

In the locker room Lombardi stood before “tons” of massive men hanging on his every word. And he did not pull any punches. Instead, he picked up a pigskin and held it high over his head. Then he shouted, “Okay, gentlemen. Today we go back to the basics. You guys, look at this. This is a football!”

Sometimes when we seem to be losing at life, we might imagine that Jesus would like to hold the Bible high over his head and say to us, “Okay, Christians. Today we go back to the basics. You guys, look at this. This is God’s Word!”

Father, forgive me for not spending as much time as I need to in your Word. I know the answers to life’s problems are there, if I will just study it. Amen.