God's Coaching #14

God's Coaching #14

Who’s the best professional football team of all time? If you want to start an argument, ask that question at a big family get-together and watch your uncles, cousins, or grandpa go at it.

There have been many excellent football teams over the years, but only one has gone undefeated for an entire season—the 1972 Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins went through the regular season with a perfect 14–0 record. Then they beat the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers in the play-offs. Finally, the Dolphins defeated the Washington Redskins 14–7 in Super Bowl VII to make their record 17–0.

Surprisingly, Miami entered the Super Bowl a three-point underdog to Washington. However, a stingy Redskin defense and an aggressive Dolphin running game helped the Dolphins build a 14–0 lead at halftime. The Redskins’ only touchdown came with 2:07 left in the game when a botched Miami field goal was run back for a score. But 14–7 was as close as Washington would get as the underdog Dolphins completed their perfect season.

What’s the Score?

Having a perfect season is the dream of every NFL team. But it’s not easy to be perfect. You probably feel that way too. You can try to be perfect, but it doesn’t work out. Somebody may do something that causes you to get angry. You lie to your parents to avoid getting in trouble. You think nasty thoughts about a friend who has hurt you.

In the history of the world, only one person has lived perfectly: Jesus Christ. Jesus’ thoughts and actions always reflected God. He knew the right way to handle every situation. When people mistreated him, he had the perfect response. Even though there’s no way we can be perfect, our goal should be to follow Jesus’ example. The apostle Paul, who wrote roughly half of the New Testament, said that he hadn’t reached perfection, but he was going to try really hard to be perfect (Philippians 3:12). That’s a good mind-set to have.

On the Ball

Nobody can be perfect. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to follow the high standard that Jesus Christ set for us. With Jesus’ help, we can live a life that will be celebrated for years to come.

Coach’s Comment

I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. Philippians 3:12