Isaiah 47:10 says “Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’”

To actually say those words, I am and there is none besides me, would sound absolutely absurd if actually voiced. Clearly there are other people on this earth beside you and me. But is that not the condition of our hearts sometimes? Human nature says to take care of your own needs above others. The Bible says differently. When self-absorption takes over, your wisdom and your knowledge have misled you.

There’s no ‘I’ in ‘TEAM’.
Teamwork makes the dream work
It’s not about you. It’s about something bigger than yourself.
…The list goes on and on.

As an athlete, we are taught these sayings since the T-ball days, am I right?

Romans 15:2 says, “Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.”

I love the NIV translation of this verse. Especially, how Paul says that we should seek to build up our neighbor.

At the end of practice today, my coach said something that I can never hear enough times. “Think about how good it feels to receive a compliment from a teammate… encourage each other, even over the little things.”

I readily admit that in the middle of a sprint workout, my natural reaction is not to yell and scream to encourage my teammates—I am worried enough about catching my breath. But I force myself to do this. I seek to build my teammates up at all cost, because as a leader I try to hold myself to the utmost standard.

Philippians 2:3-5 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus….” 

Jesus. He was the perfect leader, and He was a humble servant. He put His own interests aside in order to pay the price of death on the Cross. Oh, and by the way, it was while we were all still sinners. (Romans 5:8)

The challenge today is the love and encourage those around you, even when it’s not easy. Even if it’s a routine play that usually wouldn’t get any attention, and even when you are tired and have had a long day.

John 15:3 says, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”