Set 

During a football game, coaches do many things. One of the most important is one of the simplest: they count. If more than 11 players are on the field, a penalty will be called, causing the team to suffer. If fewer than 11 players are on the field, they will be outnumbered, causing the team to suffer. They are constantly counting and checking their players.

Often, when we see someone we know doing wrong, we remain silent. We don’t want to get involved or get into the mess of things. However, staying silent is just as dangerous as a coach seeing 12 players on the field and letting it happen. Flags will be thrown, and the team will suffer. When we don’t speak up and hold our friends accountable for something they are doing, they will walk onto the field of life and suffer consequences.

The Bible calls us to encourage one another and build each other up. When we see our friends, teammates and classmates doing wrong, we should lovingly come alongside them and remind them what they should be doing instead. We must do this in a way that builds them up, not tears them down.

When we encourage them to choose another path, step away from sinful things, and handle situations differently, we build them up, hold them accountable, and lower their chances of suffering the penalty of sin and bad choices.

In our everyday life, we don’t risk a flag being called on us or worry about being outnumbered, but this doesn’t mean we don’t check our friends and have their back because we risk something more dangerous and costly than a yellow penalty flag.

As we walk onto the field of life each day, let us look at those around us and have their back, hold them accountable, and build them up every day.