
GREATER Potential : Joyful Life
“Lord, you are my portion and my cup of blessing; you hold my future. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. I will bless the Lord who counsels me—even at night when my thoughts trouble me. I always let the Lord guide me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my whole being rejoices; my body also rests securely. For you will not abandon me to Sheol; you will not allow your faithful one to see decay. You reveal the path of life to me; in your presence is abundant joy; at your right hand are eternal pleasures.” Psalm 16:5-11 CSB
Ready
Have you had a restless night when your thoughts cannot seem to quiet down? Maybe as a coach, you are running through tomorrow’s lineup in your head one more time or maybe you’re an athlete with nerves settling in as you approach tomorrow’s championship game.
The enemy is crafty and will do anything he can to place our identity in something other than God, like the sport we play, the opinions of other people or the pressure that we can put on ourselves. In turn, we are left feeling empty and that can suck the joy out of the sport we once loved.
So where do we go when we are feeling this way? What do we do when we reach the end of ourselves?
SET
God’s Word tells us that when we allow the Lord to guide us, we will not be shaken. In our surrender we can rejoice and rest because God is the One who knows everything about us and holds our future! When the world tells us that we are not enough, God lovingly reminds us that He is always with us and is the reason we can have joy in all aspects of life—even in the losses.
We are often told that surrender is a negative thing in this world. God says differently. Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Christ gave himself for you. When we surrender our lives to God, our surrender isn’t losing but winning. We no longer need to live for the applause of the world, we live for an Audience of One. In turn, we receive the gift of abundant joy in knowing Christ and from there we compete with a purpose that goes beyond ourselves.
GO
- What areas of your life do you need to surrender to God?
- Who is one person on your team that you can share this “abundant joy” with?
- Memorize the scripture Psalm 16:5-11. The next time your thoughts begin to take over, ask the Holy Spirit to remind you of this scripture.
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