Two Minute Drills from Coach Joe Gibbs

[Judy Harder]

Take a Knee

Some football players, when they break away for a go-ahead score or cause a key third-down sack, want to be sure they get their full ESPN's worth—the dances, the struts, the jerky moves they've been saving up for just such an opportunity.

Then there's the other approach—the guy who rips off a long touchdown run, flips the ball back to the referee, and trots to the sideline without all the show and the secret handshakes. He lives by this code: Don't act like it's the first time you've ever seen the inside of the end zone. Look like you've been there . . . like you never expected to be anywhere else.

When Jesus returns, you can be sure there will be a lot of people doing a lot of tap dancing, trying hard to prove why their occasional big plays should be enough to earn them a spot on his team. But eventually, "every knee" will bow, "in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:10-11). That's when the people who'd already humbled themselves before him on earth will have no hesitation taking a knee and giving him praise in heaven. It'll be like they've been there... like they never expected to be anywhere else. And where they'll be thankful now that there's no more penalty for excessive celebration.

Pray this prayer: Lord, I don't want be someone who only bows to you when they have to. I bow before you today, on this side of heaven. I want to go ahead and start getting good at this.

[Judy Harder]

Too Much Information?

It just can't be good that every credit card swipe we make, every phone call, every movement, it seems, is on somebody's computer somewhere. We're always watchful these days for privacy loss and identity theft, running our opened mail down the shredder to keep any more info about us from leaking out. It's even a little suspicious when the grocery sends us a dollar-off coupon for our favorite brand of ketchup, realizing we're only getting this because they know what we've been buying.

What people know about us today can hurt us. What they pull up on their screens can start coming out of our bank accounts. When people all over the world can see our driveway on a Google map, you've got to figure we're not totally safe from a smart intruder.

But even in a context like this, God has no problem admitting he knows your every thought. He knows the number of hairs on your head; knows the hopes and dreams that pulsate in your heart. He's able to "write in the register of the peoples: 'This one was born in Zion'" (Psalm 87:6)—in Charlotte, in Denver, in San Antonio. Everywhere you've been, everywhere you go, he's tracking you.

But not to hurt you. God uses his knowledge to direct your steps, to bring you growth opportunities, to meet very specific needs, to send you help when you're hurting. The more he knows, the better. The more you trust him, the safer you'll be.

Pray this prayer: Lord, I know I can't hide anything from you. But I pray you'll let me see this as a good thing. Knowing I'm constantly on your radar doesn't make me feel watched, just cared for.

[Judy Harder]

How Does He Do That?

One of the reasons we like watching a NASCAR race, or a PGA major, or a world-class track and field event is because we enjoy wondering how people are able to perform with that kind of skill, at that kind of level. Who stands over an iron shot in the heavy rough and mashes it 200 yards, within a few feet of the pin? Who runs a marathon in a little more than two hours and survives to make it to the medal ceremony? Wow.

If you ever want to spend a few minutes in your Bible having this same kind of feeling, the book of Job, chapters 38-41, will give you that sensation. You'll experience a tour de force through some of the greatest mysteries of God's Creation, and wonder, "How does he do that?"

"Who cuts a channel for the currents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm?" (38:25) "From whose womb comes the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens?" (38:29) Who can give "the horse his strength or clothe his neck with a flowing mane?" (39:19) Who could "make a pet" of a giant whale or "put him on a leash for your girls" if he felt like it? (41:5)

It's amazing enough to look at the world around us and marvel at what we see. It's even more amazing to know that the God who loves us is the One who thought up, designed, and made it all.

Pray this prayer: Lord, whenever I'm impressed by what another man can do, help me see that it's nothing compared to the One who makes him able to do it. I stand in total awe of you again today.

[Judy Harder]

Anger Management

Whether at work or at home or in some other setting, you know what it's like when someone gets mad, gets their feelings hurt, and accuses you of something you didn't do. Instead of coming to find out what really happened or to talk it out calmly, they start right in with the accusations.

First reaction is what? "If they've got the nerve to come in here blaming me for things they don't even know about, they'd better have the guts to hear what I think of it . . . and of them."

Same thing happened to an Old Testament hero named Gideon, who famously took 300 men on a nighttime raid of a huge enemy encampment, armed with nothing more than trumpets, torches, and a bunch of empty jars. When God gave this tiny band an unlikely victory, some of the other fighting men of Israel swooped over to get into the action. But they were steamed that Gideon hadn't seen them fit to be part of the initial attack. "They criticized him sharply," the Bible says at the beginning of Judges 8. Still, instead of getting into a shouting match, he calmly told them he wasn't half the fighting man they were. Cooler heads carried the day. "At this, their resentment against him subsided."

Remember this:  "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger" (Proverbs 15:1). Next time someone wants to start something, let your low-key response put an end to it.

Pray this prayer: Lord, teach me how to take a gentler tone with my wife and kids and the other people who irritate me sometimes. I don't want to be an angry man.

[Judy Harder]

Judgment Day

If there's one thing we learn from the Bible, it's that salvation is not something we can earn. God just gives it. Because of what Christ has already done on the cross, our penalty has been paid. Our forgiveness has been authorized. All we do is receive it by putting our faith in him.

Then why would God leave us with so many instructions on how to live, even after we're saved? Why would he keep reminding us that we'll have to stand before His "judgment seat"? Why would he feel the need to hold it over our head that "each of us will give an account of himself to God"? (Romans 14:12)

It's because he knows us. He understands that we don't always get very busy without a deadline hanging over us. We don't usually want to behave well unless acting badly has a consequence. So even though the believer has already been cleared to spend eternity with Christ, there's a reckoning day coming where we'll all have to answer for what we did with this gift of his.

This would sound terribly harsh and heavy-handed if not for the fact that sin is what's really harsh and heavy-handed. Disobeying God is not preferable to obeying him, not by the time it's made us miserable, like it always does. Turns out that an accounting bench and a judgment seat are more about God's mercy than his wrath. He loves us enough to make us want what's best for us.

Pray this prayer: Lord, I don't really like the thought of having to stand and give account. But I'd hate to think where I'd be if you just left me to monitor myself. I guess I'm glad for your accountability.

[Judy Harder]

Made to Worship

The challenge of sharing Jesus with another person can be frightening and intimidating. But there's at least one hurdle that's already been jumped for you: people are naturally wired to worship.

We see it when even a slumping slugger, who's failed to perform up to par all year, smacks a three-run homer late in a postseason game to swing the series back in their favor. Fans erupt in the home stadium, many of them bowing with both arms extended, honoring their hero.

Paul and Barnabas, two of the first Christian missionaries, experienced something similar while ministering in a city where the crowds became amazed at their power to heal. Word soon spread to a pagan priest, who began untying the sacrificial bulls and handing out ceremonial wreaths to anyone wanting to worship these men as gods. Hearing of this, Paul and Barnabas went ballistic: "Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, humans like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God" (Acts 14:15). Worship didn't need igniting that day, just redirecting.

So when sharing your faith, don't think people aren't wanting to believe that something greater exists than what they see around them. You just be bold enough to show them Jesus. Let him draw them to salvation in the one true God—the one their soul truly longs for, the only one worthy of worship.

Pray this prayer: Father, I pray for new boldness to share your Son, Jesus, with those who come my way. Help me not be deceived into thinking they're not already hungry for what you alone can provide

[Judy Harder]

It's What I Love about You

There's something in men that wants their wife to be beautiful, not just to enjoy a pleasant face across the dinner table, but to impress others with the kind of woman they were able to attract. There's something in fathers that wants their daughters to be the kind the other boys think is pretty, somehow sharing indirectly in their children's popularity.

But as men saved from proving ourselves acceptable to God through external shows of behavior, we should know better than anyone that outward appearances are not what make a person beautiful. Just as holiness is what "adorns" the house of the Lord (Psalm 93:5), our eye for beauty in our wives and our daughters should be for the fire of Christian character shining through their lives. Holiness should be what "adorns" our house as well.

Our wives should be the most beautiful to us when they're bowed in prayer on the side of the bed, or scribbling notes in their Bible margins at church, wanting to get God's truth deeper and deeper into their hearts. Our daughters should never be better looking than when they're taking stands for purity, or listening to worship music on their iPods, or honoring their mother by obeying a bit of parental instruction, even if it's unpopular with their friends. As husbands and fathers, we should be quick to praise what we see Christ doing in our family members' lives, letting them know that it means more to us than anything.

Pray this prayer: Lord, retrain my mind to honor what you honor, to love what makes you the most delighted in us. Help me want nothing more for my wife and children than to love you with all their hearts.

[Judy Harder]

Valuable Observations

Have you ever noticed that a five percent raise doesn't really change much in your take-home pay? Aren't you just as hungry for breakfast the morning after a $50.00 meal as after a $5.00 one? How many of the items in your garage or attic once served a useful purpose inside your actual living space? And why do all of us know these things to be true?

Because we've seen them. We've lived them. If there's one thing we know about money and the things it can buy, it's the fact that we routinely overvalue them. We expect them to be so much more than they typically turn out to be. So God tells us in His Word to give "careful thought" to this: "You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it" (Haggai 1:5-6).

Don't just know this. Do something with it.

What habits do you need to discontinue based on this common-sense information? How should this insight affect the way you parent or counsel your children? What kind of character traits would have more room to grow in you if you based more of your decisions on this? When money lessons become life lessons, they can do more than just impact your shopping and saving patterns. They can go to work in your heart.

Pray this prayer: Father, I pray for the wisdom to be more thoughtful than I usually am—to base my life on the truths you've so clearly shown us, rather than acting like they don't apply to me.

[Judy Harder]

Rx for Worry

Live long enough, and you'll find yourself in a thin hospital gown, crawling up on the table for some kind of test procedure. You'll wait by the phone for the results, trying not to worry but unable to keep from wondering what you'll do if it's bad.

Is there a game plan for this kind of situation?

Let's just say that one of the blessings of living in daily fellowship with God is developing a settled heart. You realize your salvation is accomplished and complete. You recognize how many things are beyond your control. And you begin to understand that trusting him is a lot more effective than fretting and losing sleep. He takes care of you either way. So why waste the nervous energy?

Inner peace is not a formula. It's not treating God like a good-luck charm. It's about spending time reading His Word. Praying when you could be listening to sports radio. Talking to him instead of talking to yourself. Relationship, not ritual. Try it consistently for a month, and you'll look back a few weeks from now amazed at the amount of perspective and security he's given you. You'll be more like a man who has "no fear of bad news," whose "heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord" (Psalms 112:7).

Want to be ready for that next trip to the doctor? Then run your laps, watch your portions . . . and start relying on the Great Physician to get you through each day.

Pray this prayer: Lord, I waste so much of my time worrying about things you're already taking care of. I long for a settled, peaceful heart—one that's ready for trouble because I've been trusting you all along.

[Judy Harder]

Sailing in the Current

Are you happy where you are? Happy with your job and your prospects for growth? Happy with your home life, whether married or single? Happy with the house you live in? Happy with the car you drive? Happy with much of anything right now in terms of where you'd like to be?

When God allowed a Babylonian king to swoop into Israel and cart the Hebrews off into exile, you can be sure they weren't very happy. They'd lost their homes, lost their security, lost their ties to everything they owned. But as a way of further growing their character and painting their future with promise, God gave his people these instructions: Build houses there. Start a family there. Work for the good of your neighbors there. Make the most of this unwanted season by bearing fruit in an unhappy place.

"For I know the plans I have for you," God told them, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11). But don't expect these promising days just to kick in as payback because you've been suffering for a while. Don't expect to build much on the backs of your constant complaining. Commit to doing something special even in the midst of your current situation. And you'll find that those "plans" for a "hope and a future" required the relationships you built, the work you invested, and the contentment you chose in the present. Dig in to dig out.

Pray this prayer: Lord, you know I'm not very happy right now. But I'm going to take your advice and let you grow me here. Thank you for not letting me waste my experiences—even these experiences.