Week 3
READY
“Everyone who bears my name and is created for my glory. I have formed them; indeed, I have made them.” – Isaiah 43:7
SET
Not much about coaching youth sports is glamorous. There are no post-game TV interviews or endorsement deals, there are just practice plans and helping athletes tie their shoes. So, when a big win happens or an athlete finally uses the skill we worked on in practice the past two weeks, we like to bask in that. We want to make sure everyone notices that it is my team or my athlete who just performed amazingly.
It’s not supposed to be this way. This rejection of God and focus on ourselves results in a spiral where the more glory we seek for ourselves, the more we need. When we worship something, we are glorifying it. When we worship anything other than God we have turned that thing into an idol. It could be the idol of admiration, job promotion, a bigger salary or recognition. The trouble with idols is they cannot handle the weight of our worship. They always leave us disappointed.
Augustine of Hippo wrote, “. . . you have made us and drawn us to yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” Augustine gets at the heart of the struggle. We were created for God’s glory but because of our sin nature we chase after glory and idols. God has a solution to this problem. We will explore it more next week.
GO
- Do you resonate with the struggle of taking glory for yourself? What does that look like for you?
- Where are you most tempted to turn to idols?
WORKOUT
Romans 1:20-21; Romans 1:22-23
OVERTIME
“Lord, open my eyes to the places I have turned to idols and help me turn from them. I want to be a coach who gives You the glory. In Your name, amen.”