Devotions this week based on the Message: “Hope Comes with Victory!”.
Ephesians 1:15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.
Key #1: Belief
Belief takes a group of talent and forms them into a winning team.
The most recent example of this was Tom Brady (whether you like him or not) and his leadership which took an underperforming Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win the Super Bowl in his first season with them. How did he do this?
Chris Goodwin, a wide receiver for the Bucs explained: “I think the biggest thing that he brought was just the mentality of expecting to win over hoping to win,” Godwin said, via The Pat McAfee Show. “We’ve had a bunch of talented guys for years but could never really put it together. The history of the team kind of creeps into your mind. You go into games like, as a competitor you’re like, ‘Yeah we can win this.’
“But really you’re just hoping to win. But this year we approached every single game like, ‘We dxxx sure can win this game.’ … Once the playoffs hit there was no doubt in our mind that we were going to win.”*
No doubt. Just belief. Belief in a leader who has proven he can win.
Greater than any football quarterback is Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul thanks God for the Ephesians “faith in the Lord Jesus.” Faith is a confidence and trust in one who has won and guarantees us we will win.
Jesus is a proven winner…
Illnesses? Cured. Demons? Driven out. Sin? Forgiven. Death? Defeated. The list goes on. Jesus has challenged and won the victory over the world’s toughest challengers…sin, death, and Satan. So when we question whether being connected to Jesus is the winning team? Who else is there to put your faith in than the one who lived, died, rose and ascended for you?
Key #2: Teammates
Great talent with great ego equals great losses. Mediocre talent with great love for team equals amazing victories.
Paul commends the Ephesians for their “love for all the saints.” They cared about, appreciated, loved others among them who had put their trust in Jesus as Savior. How important is this? We perhaps have all had church experiences where there is more internal bickering, backstabbing, and bad behavior than outside the church. Satan loves to create dissension and division in the church. He loves to take great people of God, turn them into themselves and their ego and against one another. What happens? Satan wins…the Gospel loses.
So let’s repent and him. What happens when we express love, care and concern for our Christian teammates? We begin to realize we are all on the SAME team! Jesus loves us all. Jesus died for us all. Jesus rose for us all. Jesus sends us all to do HIS work. Doing it together as gifted, saints of God creates wins for the Gospel. Go Team!
Apply: Take time today to send a note of appreciation to a fellow Christian teammate. Let them know how much you and God’s team values them!
Prayer: Holy Spirit, thank you for calling me to faith in Jesus. Strengthen my trust in him to always love team Jesus and my fellow teammates! Amen.