B E L O N G I N G

What is there in your sport that gives you a sense of belonging? What makes you feel like you belong to the team or the organization? Maybe your uniform does that or signing a letter of intent. These are simply a foreshadowing of good things to come. Today’s scripture speaks of similar ideas.

In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians at chapter 1 and verses 21 and 22 we read, “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”

When a person is in relationship with Christ Jesus all these things happen in our hearts. We’re enabled to stand firmly; he marks us as his own and puts a portion of his own Spirit in our hearts.

That’s similar to what happens on sport teams. We have coaches and teammates who enable us to stand firmly and to compete well. We wear uniforms that declare our allegiance to a team. We even begin to experience the best things of our sport during practices and early season games, each of them small deposits of what we trust will be postseason successes.

As you compete today, rest in the assurance that comes with being chosen for this team. You have and will continue to experience in your hearts the best parts of sport as you stand firmly with your teammates.