Introduction

Sacrifice is a painful word. It always speaks of personal loss and the choice to lay aside one’s own convenience or preference for the good of others. The best teams experience sacrifice as a regular part of their lives together. Championship teams are populated by men and women who make sacrifices for their teammates and trust that the desired results will follow.

Application

1. What kind of sacrifices does your sport regularly demand of you?
2. What have you sacrificed to become a part of this team?
3. How well have you been rewarded for making those sacrifices?

Bridge

1. Romans 12:1-2 is a dynamic scripture for our lives in sport. It can be used to shape our views of sacrifice and the nature of worship. “Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.”
2. Which words describe the kind of sacrifice our bodies are to be?
3. How does such sacrifice amount to spiritual worship?

Connection

1. When do you experience such living sacrifice and worship in your sporting life?
2. When do you get a sense that your athletic sacrifices are holy and pleasing to God?
3. What are some sacrifices that may be required for your team to fulfill its goals this season?

Discovery

Think about what God’s role is for you on your team. Is there anything He is asking you to sacrifice to fulfill this role? Make a list of potential obstacles that might hinder your sacrifice and how, with the help of Christ, you can overcome each of them.

Close

Memory verse: “Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. However, they do it to receive a crown that will fade away, but we a crown that will never fade away.” – 1 Corinthians 9:25