God's Coaching #205

God's Coaching #205

Tractors are designed for plowing, pulling, and performing other farm work. But Mike Hagan from Whitehall, Montana, used his tractor to set a world record. On July 24, 2008, Mike popped a wheelie on his tractor and drove for 5.3 miles with the front wheels off the ground! The truck driver didn’t accomplish this by accident. He knew the world record for longest tractor wheelie had been set in 1995 at a distance of three miles. For four years, Mike worked and planned to accomplish this feat.

First, he knew he had to find the perfect tractor. It took him two years until he found a 1994 Ford 4630, 55-horsepower farm tractor. Then he worked for two years on the tractor, figuring out the safest and best way to drive it with two wheels off the ground. When the day came to attempt the record, Mike had his nine-year-old son, Layne, work as his crew chief. With family and friends watching, Mike popped the front wheels off the ground and drove that way for 30 minutes to set the world record.

What’s the Score?

Mike knew the key to breaking the world record for tractor wheelie was to find the right equipment. He searched for two years. When he found the 1994 Ford tractor, it was like striking gold! He knew he had to have it. Mike bought it and put a lot of time into understanding how it worked, and it helped him reach his goal.

Jesus compared the Kingdom of Heaven to finding a treasure. In the book of Matthew, Jesus told the story of a man who discovered treasure in a field. The man went home, sold everything he had, and bought the field. Just like Mike’s excitement at finding the perfect tractor, we need to be willing to sell everything and to buy in when we discover the truth of God’s Kingdom. Discovering the depth of Jesus’ love and forgiveness is like finding treasure. And the cool part is, once we find this treasure, nobody can steal it away.

On the Ball

Do you treat your relationship with Jesus like a treasure? It’s easy to take God’s love for granted and to forget to treat him specially. Think of a way you can show God that you treasure your relationship with him. Then do it!

Coach’s Comment

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field. Matthew 13:44