Tuesday, August 28, 2012

"In to Win"

Wow!  It's been a while since we've been here together.  I am returning with the goal of you and I visiting at least once a week about one of the remarkable things happening in the hallways, classrooms, chapels and athletic venues of Chapel Hill Christian School.

I am reminded this morning of a story I wanted to tell you way back in the spring of last year.  It's all about The Big Green Machine.  That's right - our South Campus Green Volleyball Team.  As I recall they "ran the table" last year.  That means they did not lose a game throughout the entire season.  No losses in the regular season - no losses in the tournament.

And yes, they were The Big Green Machine because their jerseys were green, their coaches wore green sweaters and bright green beads for bling, and the players painted their hair and faces green.  At the end of every game they victoriously slid on their knee pads like a wave of green under net to shake hands with their opponents.

But why were they so successful?  Why couldn't they be beaten? It was because they served the ball in bounds.  It seems so simple, but it's definitely the way to win volleyball games in our league.

Gabe served a bullet.  Chris served a knuckleball.  Aliah and Maddie served beautiful rainbows.  But then there was Robert.  Robert served a left-handed curveball that just when you thought it was coming to you, and you closed your eyes and braced yourself to dig it; it hit the player next to you right in the face.  They all "served it in."

It all got me to thinkin'!  When we stay within the lines of God's commands through His Word and by His Holy Spirit, there is God's protection, God's blessing and God's fruitfulness.  When we ignore Him we are setting the course of lives toward going out-of-bounds.

Psalm 1 talks about this: "his delight is in the Law of the Lord and on His Law he meditates day and night.  He will be like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in its season and whose leaf does not wither.  Whatever he does prospers."

That's what I want my life to look like - how about you?  A tree that is flowering and bearing fruit because I am planted by God and the instructions in His Word. 

When we live within these guidelines, it's just like "serving it in!"  And when we "serve it in", it's kinda like The Big Green Machine, we'll see victory after victory in our lives with the Lord!

Let's pray about that, OK?  Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your Word.  It gives us such good boundaries on how to live our lives.  Help everyone of us to live inside the safety and guidance of Your instructions.  We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.

Proud of you,
Pastor Wilson