Sports Spectrum Daily Devotional - Thursday, January 11, 2018

“Go, inquire of the Lord for me and the people and all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found, for great is the wrath of the Lord that burns against us, because our fathers have not listened to the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.” 2 Kings 22:13

Tradition of Excellence

The North Carolina State basketball program has quite a legacy. A pioneering coach, Everett Case, came from Indiana and upgraded the team in many ways. The Wolfpack also boasts David Thompson, producing one of the greatest players to ever be a part of the college game. The school has also been a multiple national champion. However, the program has not seen success in many years. The situation is only exacerbated by the fact that neighboring University of North Carolina and Duke have had many recent accolades as two of the most dominant teams in college basketball. Now a whole generation has come along not knowing or experiencing the “good times” the Pack enjoyed while playing at a high level.

When King Josiah came along, he realized that the people of Israel had turned their back on the true Lord and God. It had been a good while since they had followed the Lord. It was to the extent that he had to have the temple repaired and the Book of the Law retrieved from it. He read from it and discovered their errors. The king made the necessary reforms by destroying evil altars of worship and reinstating sacred worship traditions such as Passover. He made a covenant with God and reintroduced to the people the one true God to worship.

Whether NC State ever returns to the glory days of the past or not waits to be seen. More important, though, is whether we return to where should be spiritually. Like Josiah, we have the choice to return to the one true God if we aren’t already doing so. Let’s make a habit of it and return to Him even today. Let’s start a tradition of excellence.

— Loren Adams

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