God's Coaching #222

God's Coaching #222

Oh, those silly Brits! They’re head over heels for cheese. For hundreds of years people in the English countryside have been celebrating cheese by running down steep hills to chase after it. It’s a traditional cheese roll. The cheese-loving race starts on top of an extremely steep hill. Someone rolls a wheel of cheese, and everybody runs after it. Bodies tumble. Cheese rolls. Injuries occur. Everyone laughs; well maybe not everyone. But the person who reaches the bottom first is certainly all smiles, because he or she wins . . . cheese, of course.

Sadly, the famous cheese-rolling event on Cooper’s Hill in Gloucester was shut down in 2010 because no insurance company would cover the event. Organizers were worried about injuries during this extreme sport. But devoted cheese rollers wouldn’t be stopped. Competitors came from around the world anyway and staged their own unofficial event.

What’s the Score?

God calls us to live for him with the same reckless abandon shown by the cheese rollers—no holding back. On the hill of life, we should be willing to make sacrifices and take risks in order to follow God, no matter what. We must run after God with the same abandon as the cheese rollers who sprinted after the cheese.

And the cool part is that we receive something far greater than cheddar at the end of our race. First Kings 8:23 reminds us that God will “keep [his] covenant and show unfailing love to all who walk before [him] in wholehearted devotion.” God shows us his faithfulness and love, and one day we’ll receive his ultimate reward of eternal life. And there won’t be any moldy cheese in heaven!

On the Ball

What have you been holding back from God because of fear, selfishness, or embarrassment? Let go of it and go for what God is calling you to. “Lord, I give up ______________________________ for you.” Now remember your commitment to God every time you eat a piece of cheese.

Coach’s Comment

O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of heaven above or on the earth below. You keep your covenant and show unfailing love to all who walk before you in wholehearted devotion. 1 Kings 8:23