God's Coaching #31

God's Coaching #31

New sports seem to pop up all the time. At Winter X Games 14 in 2010, a new event was introduced that sounded sort of simple. The Skiing SuperPipe High Air had one goal—jump very, very high. It was sort of like the high jump. But instead of jumping over a bar in running shoes, competitors strapped skis on their feet, zoomed down the half-pipe, and soared as high as they could into the air.

The new event brought a lot of excitement to the superpipe, but nobody was more excited than Peter Olenick. The Aspen, Colorado, native flew 24 feet, 11 inches above the lip of the pipe to win the gold medal. That’s like jumping over a two-story house! Peter’s jump was more than a foot higher than the jump of Canada’s Justin Dorey, who placed second. Kevin Rolland from France earned the bronze medal with a jump of 23 feet, 4 inches.

What’s the Score?

Peter had never won a gold medal at the Winter X Games, even though for seven years the competition took place in his hometown. By concentrating on doing well in an event near his home, Peter was able to share his victory with family and friends.

Before ascending into heaven, Jesus gave his followers some very important instructions. He said the Holy Spirit would come upon them and give them power to be his witnesses “in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). God’s Son said these words in Jerusalem. And if you look at a map, you’ll see that Jesus’ directions encourage his followers to tell others about him close to home and then to spread out.

By focusing on being a light for Jesus in your hometown, you’ll be able to impact the people closest to you. Begin by showing God’s love in your house. Then expand to your neighborhood and school. Finally, what can you do to tell people in your town about Jesus? By following God’s plan for being a witness, you can make a difference for him.

On the Ball

Think of a person close to you who has never prayed to accept Jesus Christ as his or her Savior. Write down that person’s name:__________________________________ . Start praying for that person and ask God to give you the opportunity to share God’s love with him or her. When it comes to being a witness for Jesus, it’s good to start close to home.

Coach’s Comment

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8