God’s Team by Lisa Burkhardt Worley, D.Min.
Did you play sports in school? I was an okay athlete, good enough to play small college basketball. One of our most thrilling victories was when our team (TLC) played a much larger school down the road for the right to travel to the state tournament in Waco, hosted by Baylor University. Our opponent saw us as an easy win and had already made their hotel reservations for the tournament. But guess what? We were motivated by their self assuredness and upset them for the right to go to state!
Being part of athletic teams at both the high school and college level taught me how to share and play well with others. To this day, I love being a part of a team. Our Pearls of Promise team is now seven, and it is a blessing to do ministry with them.
But while we can participate in many teams, there is no other team I want to be on more than God’s team.
I was reading in Luke 10 about when Jesus sent out a team of 72 people to minister in nearby towns. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few…” (Luke 10:2) He then said, “ Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.” This team was looking to win souls!
The 72 returned giddy, as if they’d won the Super Bowl. “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” Jesus replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
I think Jesus was saying that it’s a privilege to be chosen for His team. He gives us great power and ability, but the victories and salvation belong to Him. The Bible says we will be awarded crowns in Heaven for our service on earth but we will lay them all at Jesus’ feet.
God blesses us when we serve Him. He’s the head coach. He provides the plays. When we go rogue and try to take the game over ourselves, we’ll probably lose in the end.
I think of a basketball game where time is running out, and a team wants to preserve their four-point lead. What do they do? They slow the game down and wait until there is a second left on the shot clock before shooting. They don’t care if the opponent runs the length of the court and makes a three-pointer. They will still win by one point.
It’s the same thing with God’s team. Sometimes He speeds the game up. Sometimes He tells us to slow down or even wait until He gives us the next play. The bottom line is that he provides everything required to win, but the key is to respect Him as Coach and listen to His direction. It’s a winning formula!
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