Finding the path to TRUE SUCCESS!There! We’re done … 15 reps. Let’s go!Nope!You’re done! ENOUGH!Well, JUST enough is not GOOD enough.Why are you knocking yourself out, man? You’re All-Conference!So?What do you have to prove? No one can stop you! We’re undefeated!Yeah, well you can win but not succeed.Huh?Just like you can succeed without winning.What are you talking about?See that skinny freshman over there?Every time I come in here, he’s already lifting. And he’s still working out when I finish.Yeah, but he can’t be lifting as much as you. And he is a long way from starting.Doesn’t matter.He’s an example to me.Him?Yeah. He works his tail off and yet he never gets to play.How much harder should I be working because I get to play all the time?Why does he do it?I asked him. He said it’s his way of giving glory to God.I know lots of athletes who say they play for the glory of God. But how many of them actually practice for the glory of God?I am now.I’m turning it up a notch because of this guy.Yeah! What a testimony!Me too!So … what’s your secret?Secret? It’s no secret. The Bible says …“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people” (Colossians 3:23).“Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).The Bible, huh?Yep! That’s where I learned how to have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12).So, you know God personally?That’s right! You see, God became a human in the form of His Son, Jesus Christ. He came to earth to save us by dying on a cross as payment for our sins, and then rising from the grave to give us eternal life.“For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).God is perfectly holy (Isaiah 6:3), so He cannot commit or approve of evil (James 1:13). God requires holiness of us as well.“You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16).When I learned that, I turned my life over to God by placing my trust in Jesus to save me.Now I have a personal relationship with God, and He gives me the ability to set aside my own desires and give my full effort for the team.“And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23).I want that too!Dear God, I want to have a personal relationship with You for all eternity. Thank you for dying on the cross for me and rising from the dead to give me eternal life. I now turn from my sin and I place my total trust in Jesus to save me. Thank you for giving me the ability to life for you and know what it truly means to have success. Amen.
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