“He must increase, but I must decrease.” — John 3:30 (ESV)
>> Sign up here for Sports Spectrum devotionals sent right to your email inbox <<
A crucial ingredient to being a part of a team is putting the team as a whole first, before yourself. The familiar saying, “there is no ‘I’ in team,” is used often to remind players it isn’t about them as individuals. A team isn’t successful without all of its players. A team can’t stand on one player alone; that’s why they have their teammates. Each member plays a role that contributes to the success of the whole.
This concept is not just important when you’re a team member, it’s also important when you’re a follower of Christ. You must die to yourself every day — laying aside your sinful, worldly desires and temptations — to follow Jesus. It’s not about you. The two greatest commandments Jesus calls us to follow are to love God and love others:
“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.'” — Matthew 22:37-39
As Christians, we must strive daily to follow Christ, which means seeing ourselves decrease and Jesus increase in our lives. God must become greater and greater every day in us, instead of our own desires, wants and needs. Taking up our own crosses daily increases the presence of God in our lives. The more God increases, the more we decrease and the more we can commune with Him, which is always the goal.
— Madison Thacker
If you would like to submit a devotional, please email all submissions to
devotionals@sportsspectrum.com.
