Baseball is a great team sport. Players work together to make their team successful. One of my favorite plays is when players give up their at bat for a possible victory in the end. This is an important play. The home-run hitters get all the glory, but these role players do just as much to help the team win.

Jesus knew He had a role to carry out for His team (His followers) and lived His life accordingly, preparing to take one for His team. Christ knew the plan for ultimate victory. He knew He was to be the sacrifice for our sin, that we might enjoy eternity with Him. Now that is a glory-filled event.

If we tried to count on our hands the number of times someone let us down or we have let someone else down, we’d run out of fingers. We as humans fail miserably all the time. Thankfully there are promises in the Bible like the one in Psalm 103:12, which states, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

There is incredible power in looking at ourselves through the eyes of Christ. No matter the mistake, the loss, the pain, or the regret—in God’s eyes we shine brightly. When we feel inadequate, depressed, or ashamed; we should feel His presence. He redeems our life, rescues us from the pit and showers us with love and compassion. He satisfies our desires with awesome and wonderful things.

My family competed at everything—football, basketball, lacrosse—even dinner as we inhaled our food to finish first. We called my dad Captain Intensity because he did everything at 110 percent. I remember hearing of his lacrosse days at the U.S. Naval Academy, and when he played against Jim Brown (football and lacrosse player at Syracuse and one of the greatest NFL running backs of all time). My dad had a hit on Brown that changed the course of the game. It was a breakthrough play for my dad, who then started every game after that.

Breakthrough is a great word used in sports. Any play that changes the course of a game is usually called a breakthrough play. A breakthrough game changes the course of a team’s season.

One of the biggest hindrances to an athlete's performance is doubt. Wondering whether or not he or she is capable of doing the job. From the hitting drills of football to individual at-bats of baseball to the weight lifting of everyone, a major factor of success is being confident in the ability to do something.

Every once in a while we encounter an opponent in competition who, by all accounts, is unbeatable, and it prompts fear in our team. Some opponents seem to grow larger and larger as we approach game day. The media reports and general word-of-mouth discussions depict them as giants. How should we approach such an opponent?

Your opponents on the athletic field are worthy of your respect. They are not, however, worthy of fear! The work of God’s Spirit within us does not bring fear. It brings courage.

We can all recall a time when we’ve competed to the point of total exhaustion, our bodies, minds, and souls fully spent in pursuit of a victory. How does one continue to compete at the point of physical breakdown and total collapse?

The writer of this psalm knew what it was for his flesh and heart to fail. He had totally exhausted the capacity of his body to fight, but had lived on. He had been to the very end of his heart’s ability to love, but found renewed strength of soul.

At the end of a body’s natural ability to compete, God is a limitless source of strength. When our hearts are poured out like much water, God is a river of life to the soul.

One of the common elements in all levels of football from peewee to pro is the playbook. It contains the game plan each team uses to try to overcome its opponent. Without the playbook teams and players would be in a state of confusion not knowing what to do or where to go. On the other hand, no matter how good the playbook is, it’s absolutely useless if the players don’t study and apply it.

What does it mean to be sitting on the sidelines? It means we’re not in the game. In sports, there’s a limited amount of athletes who can be in a game at one time, and there are many reasons why certain ones have to sit out: they are injured, they aren’t starters, they’re lower on the depth chart, they don’t quite have the skills, or they’re just fans.

But what about those times when we are healthy, skilled and highly capable enough to be in the game, but we still choose not to go in? This is rare, but it does happen. Maybe we’re afraid, not comfortable with a situation, or that we’re losing and don’t want to be blamed for it.