Seeking First Things First

At some point, we have all lost our keys or our wallet. It can be very frustrating. After a while, we begin to make a strong effort to find what is lost. I have spent hours or days searching for something that was missing. I go into “search and rescue” mode, thinking, Those things are valuable to my life and I’ve got to find them!

This verse in Matthew guides us about what we should seek first in this life. Most of us worry too much about things that don’t impact the kingdom of God—our house, car, things that aren’t what God values first. As coaches we can spend much of our time and energy worrying over recruiting, practice plans, standing in the conference race, won-loss records. Do we need to work hard and be the best coaches that God would have us to be? Yes. But we must ask ourselves as coaches, “Are we really seeking His kingdom first?” We must remember that we coach people, not sports. God’s first priority is the eternal destiny of people. He gave Jesus for us to have a personal relationship with Him (Jn 3:16).

Our response as Christian coaches must be to obey God’s Word and see the kingdom of God in every day we live. Whether it’s organizing practice plans, putting together game plans, working with assistant coaches, or dealing with discipline issues, we must be sensitive to the kingdom issues that arise each day. As we open ourselves to being aware of God’s priorities in our daily routines, He will show us how to be effective and fruitful for His kingdom. In doing so, He will also provide all the “things” we need for this life.