Sports Spectrum Daily Devotional - Wednesday, September 6, 2017

“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’” – Matthew 11:28

Don’t Go Another Round!

It was my senior year in high school and the wrestling team needed someone in the 215-pound weight class. The coach asked me to join the team so I accepted. I must admit, I had no idea what the rules of wrestling were when I joined, and I wasn’t too thrilled about wearing a spandex suit either.

“Don’t go another round with him!” Coach yelled that to me at almost every practice and match.

I realized that when I would go into the second round, all my strength and energy was spent in the first round. Don’t go another round with him! Oh … now I get it, Coach.

We struggle with many battles throughout our life. Sometimes these battles stick around longer than expected. It tires us out. I mean, the Israelites’ 11-day trip turned into a 40-year trip. The woman who suffered from discharge of blood suffered for 12 years. For many of us today, it can be a sickness, marital problems, family issues … there are countless examples.

The beauty of serving the God we serve is that I don’t have to go another round with my battles!

He’s already won it for us! You can decide today whether it will continue to dominate your life, or with God’s help you will pin it down. Guess what? It’s the first round and God is in your corner yelling, “Don’t go another round with it!”

Richard Salgado, Sports Spectrum reader