Thank God There's No "I" On God's Team

"Today's Devotion" For February 22, 2006

Read: Romans 12:1-8; Psalm 89:1-18

THANK GOD THERE'S NO "I" ON GOD'S TEAM

"For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you." (Romans 12:5)

There's probably no greater insight into the "heart" of the competitor than that which comes on the world stage. As we watch the current edition of the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy we observe both the best and the worst that competition has to offer. We've seen pieces on television talking about the triumph of an injured athletes returning to the Olympics when no one thought they had a chance of ever competing again. A good example of this is the U.S. freestyle skier who was terribly injured in Salt Lake City four years ago, of whom it was thought she'd never walk again (much less do freestyle ski-jumping at the Olympics), who, with the help of a couple of her teammates, endured the pain of the therapy and the retraining to get back into Olympic competition. It's a wonderful example of people caring about each other and working together (even though their event is an individual one) as a team to support a teammate.

In sharp contrast to stories such as this is the unfolding "drama" of the two exceptionally gifted speed skaters, who, because of their self-centeredness, lost the gold medal in the 1500-meter long track event because, as one newspaper columnist put it, "they forgot their game plan and focused on each other in a sport where time is of the essence." Then they spent a good deal of time sniping at each other at a press conference, taking one "potshot" after another, not as teammates, not as competitors, but as children focused on themselves and their own accomplishment - their own egos.

Of course, it's easy to take "swipes" at these young men for their unseemly, anti-team, and "unprofessional" behavior. They're on the world stage. Yet, in their childishness and poor manners, their arrogance and cocksureness, they're not alone. They've been given "license" for such behavior by a culture that is increasingly narcissistic and "me-centered." We can speak all we want to about there being no "I" in "team," but the reality is that "I" is very much a part of each of our lives. "Look what I've done, " "see what I've accomplished," "see how good I am." Rather than expecting others to acknowledge us, we end up acknowledging ourselves.

A good example of this can be found in many college applications. It's particularly noticeable in the applications to our military academies which ask the applicant to "brag" about his or her accomplishments during high school. A representative of the United States Naval Academy's Admissions Office emphasized the importance of such "disclosure" in a recent briefing of field representatives I attended. It's almost ironic that the "I" is emphasized in order to get into a school in order to become a member of a team and eventually a leader of it. Talk about a confusing message!

Our sinful human nature gravitates more to the "I" in Sin, than it gravitates toward the whole idea of "team." Sin leads us to think of ourselves more highly than we ought, not with a reasonable assessment and acknowledgment of God's gifts to us, but as if all we are and accomplish is solely on our own. St. Paul addresses this attitude and thought process when he writes to the Corinthian church, "When I was a child I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child" (I Cor. 13:11). When we consider ourselves better than others, look down on others who have different gifts than we have, or put ourselves above others then we're not acting like members of God's "team" - His family, the Body of Christ - but as individuals who apparently have no use for God. Rather than the mature behavior of those who acknowledge their sins before God and seek His forgiveness, we act as if everyone, God included, is beneath us.

Yet, by the grace of God, we have deliverance from ourselves and the power of Sin in our lives. Our Lord Jesus Christ not only set the standard for obedience to God's Will, but He also was obedient for us so that we might know God's forgiveness rather than His wrath. He didn't come to tell the world how "good and perfect" He was, but took on the form of a servant so that God's Will might be done and the world's salvation accomplished by His suffering, death, and resurrection.

In Christ Jesus we not only receive God's love and forgiveness but we are led to see the blessings God has given us - His gifts to share with others His love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. Our lives are not about us, they're about God living in us and through us to touch others with His love in Christ. Our lives are not about competition with each other but working with each other for the common good and the growth of Christ's Body, the Church. Our lives are not about being the best and gaining rewards but about letting God use us and His gifts to us for the benefit of His "team" so that others might come to know Jesus and be saved. In the end, for God's people, redeemed in Christ and washed clean from their sins in Holy Baptism, there is no "I" on God's team, for all of our eyes are turned to Jesus our Savior and Lord. For this we give humble and hearty thanks to God.

Prayer: Father, I thank You for every gift, talent, and ability You have given. Each of them is a blessing from Your loving and bountiful hand for the purpose of sharing Jesus with others. It's so very easy, Father, for me to talk about myself and what I've done. While You have made me a member of the Body of Christ, I often forget that I'm on Your team, and strike out on my own for my "individual gold." Forgive me, gracious Father, for Jesus' sake and send Your Holy Spirit upon me, working in me through Your Word, so that I might seek the good of everyone, serving You and others in Your name, not for my "glory" but for Yours; not for my "gold medal" but for the crown of life that is Your gift to me in eternity - a gift of Your grace and love in Jesus Christ alone; in whose precious name I pray. Amen.
*******************

--Pastor Boeck

Copyright © 2006 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.