WELCOME
So far we have learned that we don’t need a veil to talk to God, when we are supposed to be reflecting God’s glory not our own and that a relationship with God gives us freedom.
That’s a lot! Today we are going to learn that when we are reflecting God’s glory we are actually reflecting His image – who He is to those around us.
“But the fruit of spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” – Galatians 5:22
Would you rather eat a perfectly yellow banana or one with dark brown spots? What about a strawberry with white fuzz on it or a glistening red strawberry? Good fruit is good and we want that kind of fruit. Bad fruit is yucky and we often throw it away.
WARM-UP/WORKOUT
One of the hardest things to do as a Christ-following sports athlete is reflecting the character of God in a game or competition. Our verse for this week comes from a letter the apostle Paul wrote to the church in Galatia. These fruits of the spirit are character traits that we should show in our lives. These traits are a result of us knowing God and His character.
Let’s go through the list and talk about how these might show up in our lives as athletes.
How might love show in our lives as athletes? (compassion for team, coaches, officials, opponents – that doesn’t mean you don’t want to win but you don’t wish harm)
How might joy show in our lives as athletes? (being content in wins or losses, glad to be part of team, good attitude at practice)
How might peace show in our lives as athletes? (not stressing out during games, no team drama)
How might patience show in our lives as athletes? (be unbothered with teammates who are learning, be ok when things take a while)
How might kindness show in our lives as athletes? (treat opponent, officials, coach, teammates with respect, help a teammate out, be encouraging)
How might goodness show in our lives as athletes? (have pure motives, do the right thing not the easy thing, help others)
How might faithfulness show in our lives as athletes? (be loyal to your team, keep working hard even things aren’t going your way)
How might gentleness show in our lives as athletes? (not responding harshly)
How might self-control show in our lives as athletes? (keep emotions in check, not getting a penalty because of a bad reaction)
WRAP-UP
Do you notice that all of these have to do with you and your actions? Also, none of them mean you play any less competitively. Take time this week to think about the kind of fruit you are showing others in your life – is it good spiritual fruit or yucky fruit we need to throw away?
Let’s pray.
“Lord, we want to produce good spiritual fruit in our lives. We want others to see You through our actions. Grow us closer to You so that we can produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in our lives. In Your name we pray, amen.”
Hands in, whose glory?
God’s glory!