“Pep Talk”


BIBLE READING: Romans 12


               In 1986, the best movie in the history of cinema was released.  You can have Citizen Kane, or Gone with the Wind, or any other movie.  I’ll take the move, Hoosiers.  This movie is a true story about the Milan High School (Indiana) basketball team and their pursuit (as a very small school) of the state championship in 1951.  Gene Hackman plays Coach Norman Dale, and he is tasked with taking small, undersized basketball players and turning them into a competitive basketball team.  There’s a scene in the movie where the team is practicing and one of the players gets overwhelmed by the drill they are doing, and the other players begin to laugh.  Coach Dale blows the whistle to stop practice and urges them to focus on the task at hand.  He tells them to remember why they are here: “Five players on the floor functioning as one single unit: team, team, team – no one more important than the other.”
               Chapter 12 of Romans is “Coach” Paul’s pep talk to the Jews and Gentiles.  Read the chapter and see the tone that he is using:
               “… be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” (verse 2)
               “…not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think…” (verse 3)
               “… all the members do not have the same function.” (verse 4)
               “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them…” (verse 6)
               “Let love be without hypocrisy.” (verse 9)
               “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another” (verse 10)
               “Be of the same mind toward one another.  Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble.  Do not be wise in your own opinion.” (verse 16)
               “… live peaceably with all men.” (verse 18)
               It’s almost as if Paul is in this same spirit saying, “Look, your background is as Jews and Gentiles, but now you are one team.  There’s many of you, and you each have different roles as members of this church.  Do your role.  Don’t be jealous of others.  Fulfill your role because we are all one team.  No one more important than the other.”
               So, have you figured out your role?  Are you doing your role?  Are you functioning as a member of the team?  Look again at some of the exhortations he gives about our Christian behavior in verses 9-21.  Do those apply to you?  Could we all do better at these things?


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday - October 4, 2016

Woodlawn Family Bible Study TUESDAY BIBLE READING:    Genesis 32:22-32 Do you want to be blessed? That sounds like a rhetorical question, doesn’t it? Who doesn’t want to be blessed? I guess it really depends on your definition of “blessed.” Many people desire blessings that will make them wealthy or, perhaps, material goods. However, being blessed is not limited to those physical things. In fact, sometimes we can be blessed in the most unusual ways. For instance, in Genesis 32:26, we find Jacob wrestling with what we often call an angel. Within the story, Jacob is overtaking the angel and holding him down; refusing to let go until the angel gives him a blessing. The angel obliges Jacob, but not in the way he might have imagined. The angel changed his name from “Jacob” to “Israel,” but he also did something else. He put Jacob’s hip joint out of socket, causing him much pain and difficulty walking. In part, his blessing had to do with him walking with a limp. How is tha...
Read more

Resolutions: Draw closer to God through study of His word

BIBLE READING: John 14.7 Spend time alone with God’s Word.  Besides the spiritual growth we will gain from study, we will also come to know Him better.  Reading His word brings us in touch with Him.  Jesus tells us in John 14:7 – “If you had known Me, you would have known my Father also.”   Just studying the life of Jesus will help us to know God better.   In seeking God’s help, we can draw closer to Him through prayer, meditation, nature, and study.   “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law doth he meditate day and night.” Psalm 1:2  I Tim.4:13,15 - “Give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine… meditate on these things; give yourself wholly to them.”   Regardless of our circumstances we can rely on God’s unchanging character.  God is good. God loves me. God is with me. God knows my problems. God cares. Romans 8:31(b) tells us, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Make a resolution to slo...
Read more

“Examples”

BIBLE READING: Mark 13- Luke 1 DISCUSSION                                                                                   This past week we have read of some great examples in the bible.   We read in Mark 13 about us being ready and being prepared for when Jesus returns.   We need to all stay awake!   In Mark 14 we read of one action having such an impact.   How this woman gave her very best to Jesus because of her love for Him.   In Mark 15 we read of Pontius Pilate and his desire to keep his power.   He loved his power and did not want to give it up even if that meant sending an inno...
Read more