WELCOME
Let’s review. Who is supposed to get all the glory? (God)
Who sometimes takes the glory instead? (we do)
This week we are going to learn how to focus on eternal prizes instead of temporary ones.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” – Matthew 6:33
WARM-UP
It’s All Trivial
Let’s see how much the group knows about notable sports achievements. We’ll name a championship event from past years and see if anyone can identify the winner.
[Note to leader: Start with recent winners and keep going backwards until it becomes more difficult for anyone to come up with the correct answer. Some ideas might be Super Bowl champions, World Series champions, NBA champions, College Football champions, Olympic gold medalists, etc. Go back as far into history as necessary to ensure that the answers are difficult if not impossible to answer.]Why do you think it’s so easy to forget notable sports achievements?
With that in mind, why do you think our culture still makes such a big deal out of winning?
WORKOUT
We started this season learning about who is supposed to get the glory. But it isn’t always easy is it? What does the world tell us is important? (winning, success, awards, championships, popularity, money, etc.)
Let’ take a look at someone from the Bible. Paul was a big deal. He wrote over half of the New Testament but before he did what God wanted him to do, he used his heritage (his family background), his education, and his skills to get ahead in the world. The problem with relying on those things is they only get you so far and often they don’t last.
What is the last award, trophy or recognition you received?
How long did the good feeling of winning that thing last?
When we shift our focus from competing for ourselves and our glory to competing for God and His glory we begin pursuing a greater prize – one that is eternal and leaves us feeling better forever.
What are some things about God we can focus on to help our lives right now? (His love for us, grace, mercy, He comforts us, He is with us always, etc.)
Shining our light for God when we compete in our sport is an opportunity we have to glorify God. Doing that can help our teammates, our opponents, the officials and even the fans begin to know who God is. If we do what our memory verse says, “seek first the kingdom of God” no matter what happens we will be doing what God asks us to do.
WRAP-UP
To glorify God is to hold weight to all that God is. I challenge you to choose to hold weight to who God is and to seek Him above all else.
Let’s pray.
“Lord, the world wants us to seek glory for ourselves. We want to give glory to You. Help us to seek Your Kingdom first. Remind us that Your glory is eternal. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Whose glory, team?
God’s glory!