Teamwork: Your Position

Timing is everything. Surely, you’ve heard this phrase in the sports world. Quarterbacks and wide receivers work on their timing. Runners monitor their pace. Base runners time up their leadoffs for a steal. The concept of timing transcends minutes and seconds to focus on rhythm and synchronization.

But is timing truly everything? Think about it. A team can have great timing on a certain play, but if you’re not in the right location, the play won’t work. That’s why coaches don’t set up offenses for routine half-court shots nor do coaches call for a field goal beyond the 50-yard-line. More importantly, if players aren’t in the correct positions to fit their skillsets, timing doesn’t matter because it will never come.  

This same adage coincides with the dynamics on a team. A team can possess all the talent in the world, be in the right location to succeed, but if players and coaches aren’t in the right positions, then the team won’t be effective. We must know our positions. That’s when true teamwork takes off.

Do you know your position on God’s team? It’s only through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that you receive a spot on God’s team for eternity. Life won’t make sense until you accept this invitation. When you say yes and join, you receive a new identity and special giftings through God’s Spirit that comes to live inside you (see Galatians 2:20).

The Bible is clear that God gives spiritual gifts and abilities to each member on His team. Do you know your spiritual gifts? For some, God provides the ability to teach. Others may receive the abilities to encourage and serve. When you discover more of who God created you to be in Christ, you are empowered to live into your calling and help others do the same. Just as a team needs each player and coach to be in the right position, the body of Christ needs each member to be in the right position.

Now, here’s the important thing: No one position is more important than another. God uniquely created each of us. No difference exists between “practice players” or “starters” on God’s team—we each have a purposeful role to play. Isn’t that the essence of a team, anyway? Each person bringing his or her talents and abilities together in order to achieve a common goal.

On God’s team, we strive to fulfill the Great Commission of making disciples of Jesus Christ by going all over the world to share the Good News. As a team, fellow Christ-followers are called to serve one another and strive for unity. We each have a role. You have a role. I have a roll. We are pursuing a huge goal, but we have an even greater God.

The timing is now. The location is wherever God has placed you. Your position is yours to accept. The team is counting on you.