God's Coaching #340

God's Coaching #340

“C’mon guys, let’s go out there and be really mediocre!” When was the last time you heard a professional athlete yell that in the pregame huddle? Never. No athlete, regardless of the sport, wants to be average, either in his or her personal performance or as a team.

But certain professional leagues have play-off systems that sometimes reward mediocrity. Take the NBA and NHL, for instance. Sixteen of the 30 teams in each league qualify for the play-offs each year. That’s more than half! In 2008, the Atlanta Hawks backed into the NBA play-offs with a 37–45 record. A year later, the Detroit Pistons did the same after a 39–43 regular season. Talk about average! In the NHL, the Edmonton Oilers reached the Stanley Cup play-offs with a losing record five times between 1980 and 1999. The NFL is a little more demanding when it comes to the play-offs, allowing only 12 of 32 teams to make the postseason play. But play-off mediocrity happens there, too. In 2010, the Seattle Seahawks hosted a play-off game after winning the NFC West Division with a 7–9 record.

What’s the Score?

Being average might work for certain professional sports leagues, but it doesn’t work in the Christian life. God calls his children to the highest possible standard: holiness. The word holy means “set apart.” In all creation, only God is truly holy. He is set apart by his infinite perfection in righteousness, justice, wisdom, and power. On the other hand, we are mediocre at best. Some people make as many bad decisions as they do good ones.

In Leviticus, God gave the Israelites (and us) a shocking command: “Be holy because I, the LORD, am holy.” If it seems like an impossible request, it is—at least for us. There’s nothing we can do to achieve holiness on our own. But God provided a way for us to reach his perfect standard—by sending his perfect Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins. When we place our faith in Jesus, God credits Jesus’ righteousness to us and considers us holy too. God doesn’t accept anything less than holiness. But he does accept the sacrifice of his holy Son on our behalf. Incredible!

On the Ball

Using a Bible concordance, do a study on the word holy by looking up Scripture passages where it is mentioned. Write down your favorite verse here:

Coach’s Comment

You must be holy because I, the LORD, am holy. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own. Leviticus 20:26