CHARGER NATION: GAME #4

This was taken from www.challies.com: A great blog resource for Christians.

Charger Nation,

                I want to congratulate our JV on a great win last night.  I appreciate all the coaches and the energy and effort they poor into the boys day in and day out.  I appreciate the boys working hard to meet our demands and expectations.  I appreciate the parents believing in what we do and supporting us.  All of it together gives your son a chance to be successful.  Nothing is guaranteed in life, but hard work gives us a chance.  These lessons they are learning are important for them as they grow as men.  

                Tonight we play Holy Innocents and it is the first game of region play.  Holy Innocents is a good football team and they believe in running the football right down your throat.  Football is a physical and tough game.  Their head coach embraces that and tries to wear a team down physically by running the ball.  They do what they do well.  Our boys have prepared very hard.  They are ready.  It will be a fun game.

                

                “There are two you’s in you.” 

This was my comment to the boys in the weight room the other day.  I was making reference to the two men that live in us everyday.  The sluggard is the lazy man who refuses to work.  Then there is the diligent man who is willing to work hard even when he does not feel like it.  We all deal with both of these persons inside of us.  Some people are completely dominated by the sluggard inside of them telling them to do nothing.  Some people have learned to deny that man and pursue excellence through diligent work.  It’s a battle.  We are trying to teach your boys to deny this sluggard in them and live as a champion.  Champions overcome the sluggard inside of them: “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.” Proverbs 13:4

There is a much more understanding of this struggle.  What I am trying to do when I tell the boys of this struggle between the diligent man and the sluggard that exists in them is lay a foundation for them to understand the struggle for the Christian man as he battles denying his flesh and living in the Spirit.  When God calls us to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  A relationship where Christ is King and I am his servant and son, He calls us to obedience to his laws and rules, to be transformed in Christ.  Even though we desire to serve Christ and live for him, we do not naturally desire to deny ourselves and live for Jesus Christ.  There is a struggle between the sinful man that still lives in us and the Holy Spirit that has come to dwell in us.  Truly, for the Christian, for the man and woman who have surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ, there are two you’s in you. 

         “I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I know live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”  Galatians 2:20

This is our team verse.  If you study this verse you can see the writer is referencing two people that live in him.  He has crucified the sinful man that lives in him with Christ.  I was born a sinner.  I was born a wretched and wicked man.  I was born a man who only thinks about himself and puts himself first.  Even when I try and do something good for someone or in the community I am desperate that other people know about my good deeds.  (I dare everyone to do a good deed without posting it on twitter, Facebook, or Instagram).  Even in my helping of people I am trying to receive personal glory.  My good deeds always point back to me.  This sinful man, he is all about his own glory and reputation.  He may hide behind good things but there is a strategic intent for glory and praise.  This wicked, sinful, self righteous, self seeking man was the one in complete rebellion from God.  I even proclaimed belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior but in no way was my life surrendered to him and living for his glory.  I proclaimed Christ as Lord but I was Lord.  I was not interested in God’s glory, I was interested in my glory.  Foolishly, blindly, I tried and used God for my own worldly advancement.  This disgusting  man, both me and you, is the one that was in rebellion from God, using God.  We deserve Hell for this rebellion of the righteous and Holy God of the Universe.  But God, in his mercy and grace, did not leave us bound in chains to this disgusting man.  He sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to be crucified on the cross for our sins so that we may turn from our sin, surrender all to Jesus Christ, and have eternal life through Christ. 

As Christ calls us He shows us all of this.  He shows us that we were not made for our glory and creating a name for ourselves.  We were created in God’s image and for his glory.  You see, if you seek that for which you were not made you will never find that for which you are seeking.  If you are seeking self glory you are not ever going to find enough of it.  Whatever sin you are chasing you will never get enough of it.  It will kill you trying to find it.  It will destroy all things good in your life as you chase this sin.  And the reason is from the beginning of our existence we were only made for one thing and that is a personal relationship with God where he is King and we live to glorify him.  Christ came and died so this relationship with God could be made right.  Christ came and showed us the evil ways of the world.  He came and died for our sins so that we may quit being enslaved to the pursuit of this world and the sinful desires of our flesh.

As I told the boys, “there are two you’s in you”, the Holy Spirit shows me this about myself.  He calls me to crucify and deny my sinful self.  The sinful man that I was born and who still lives in me, I am to die to this man and live in Christ daily.  When we give our lives to Christ, He just doesn’t leave us on our own.  He promises to come and live inside of us so that we can deny ourselves and live in Christ.

                Sometimes I wish as a coach I could put my brain in our players.  Just like as a parent you wish you could put your brain in your kid.  As a coach, I know more than them because I’ve coached for a long time and I know how to handle each situation and scenario.  They do not.  But I can’t put my brain in them.  I try but they’ll make mistakes and that is fine.  But as a Christian, God enters into us and offers to “teach us and instruct us in the way we should go; to counsel us with his eye upon us.” Psalm 32:8. Christ is not just telling us to deny ourselves and to crucify ourselves.  He is saying if we abide in him and seek him, He will be with us and give us the ability to deny ourselves.  He desires for our own sake that we would die to this sinful man that lives in us and is full of self and dead works and be raised with Christ to a life that is full and complete.   

There are two you’s in you.  There are two of me in me.  Everyday is a battle with these two men that we by our self cannot win.  The sinful man will always prevail if you are living in your own power.  Praise be to God, who has sent Jesus Christ to die for our sins that we may die to the sinful man that lives in us.  Praise be to God that he has sent his Holy Spirit to live in us that we may live a new life in Christ.  May we seek him and have life abundantly!  To God the glory!

Chargers we are ready!  I’m excited to play tonight!

“The horse is made ready for the day of battle but the victory belongs to the Lord.” Proverbs 21:31

Wholly for Christ,

Coach Gess