Today's Devotional

September 9, 2004

Subject:  A Game Plan 

Proverbs 24:27 - "Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house."

Well it's finally here.  Football season in America is upon us and it's always amazing how optimistic every team is before they play their first game.  Everyone believes that they can win it all.  Everyone wants to have that perfect season and go undefeated.  Of course after the first game is  played, many hopes are dashed.

This is not only true in football, but also in life for many Christians.  As we go through life, many of us desire to live perfectly before God and emerge victorious in every contest.   However, just like in football, the difference between winning and losing is always preparation.  If we're gonna win, we need a good "Game Plan."

The verse above speaks of proper preparation to accomplishment of a task.  Tom Landry, the much-heralded former coach of "America's Team," the Dallas Cowboys, used to say this, "I'm not much on great motivational speeches prior to a football game.  If I haven't done the work the week before the game, all of the great talking in the world won't matter."  Tom was keen on devising a good game plan, practicing it and then playing the game.

In your "game" what's the plan?  Do you have a plan for success against the opponent or do you go into each battle with a "you win some you lose some" attitude?  If the latter is the case, then a better statement to describe you will be "you sin some..."  Without a game plan we will be defeated in life.  While we have an available "game plan" written in the holy bible, we can't run it's plays in the game if we don't get any practice.  

Today prepare for the big victory and practice the plays in the "playbook."  That's a "Game Plan" that works. 

Carlen