1 – Today’s characteristic of Successful People and Successful Teams is Love.

Definition – “to seek another’s best interest at one’s personal cost.”
  • The most successful people love their families.
  • The most successful people love their coworkers.
  • The most successful people love their teammates.
  • The most successful people love their careers.
  • The most successful teams/companies/organizations love each other.
  • They seek the others’ best interest at their own cost.
2 – Here are some questions we should consider.
  • Will such love characterize our team?
  • On a 1 to 10 scale, how much do you love your teammates?
  • What costs would you be willing to pay to see your team achieve everything of which is it capable?
3 – We find a powerful description of this kind of unconditional, sacrificial love in the
Bible at I Corinthians 13:4-8a. (Read the text aloud.)
4 – There are three big ideas here:
  • How love is expressed toward others.
    o Patient and kind.
    o Not jealous / bragging / arrogant.
    o Will you be patient and kind toward your teammates or will you be jealous of them, brag about yourself and arrogantly put others down?
  • How love is expressed in values.
    o Love does not act unbecomingly. It is respectful.
    o Love does not seek its own. It is selfless.
    o Love is not provoked. It is under control.
    o Love does not hold a grudge. It is forgiving.
    o Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness. It is pleased when people do the right thing.
    o Will your heart-felt values find expression in ways that bring the best out of your teammates?
  • How love is expressed in absolute terms.
    o Love bears all things. It perseveres in adversity.
    o Love believes all things. It sees the potential in others.
    o Love hopes all things. It expects the best from others.
    o Love endures all things. It refuses to quit on others.
    o Love never fails. Never, it is always the right thing to do.
5 – When I say, “I love you.” This is exactly what I mean.
  • When your coaches say they love you, this is what they mean.
  • When the Lord Jesus whispers, “I love you,” in your ear, this is what He means.

This resource provided by Roger D. Lipe
lipe@earthlink.net
www.sifca.org