Oct
28
Teammates
Filed Under Devotional
If you haven’t played team sports competitively or served in the military, it might be hard to understand. I only played a bit of basketball in high school, but I still remember the rush of leaving the locker room and walking into the gym with my team. These were my friends and teammates. We had gone through long practices together, worked hard together, and learned how to play together. All that time pays off during the game when a split-second decision is made that results in points all because of the hours spent practicing together. That just strengthens the unique bond created in these situations.
There’s a camaraderie that builds and makes you want nothing more than your whole team to be better. You push your teammates harder to make them better. You start to want it for the other guys more than yourself. You get a bigger buzz out of the excitement on the faces of your teammates than your own.
I’d like to think that this is what Paul was feeling when he wrote this to the church at Philippi:
“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:3-6
Paul fondly remembers serving as partners with these folks. He prays that God completes the work in their lives. Paul’s joy is derived from their success. I think Paul felt that same kind of brotherhood and camaraderie with this and the other churches he founded. He wanted so badly for them to grow and mature so they would succeed.
What a model for us to follow when we interact with our brothers and sisters in Christ every week. We shouldn’t be competing with them for position or power. We shouldn’t be gossiping and shaking our heads from afar. We are teammates and cohorts. We have shared the experience of salvation and are now on the same team!
We should be urging each other on. Our prayers and conversations should be rooting for their victories. Our joy should derive from seeing them succeed.
That’s when God will be able carry His good work to completion in our lives.