Back To The Basics

A once successful football team experienced several successive losing seasons. The fans were unhappy and many stopped attending their games. So the owner decided it was time for a new coach. After a lengthy search, he located a leader whom he felt was up to the challenge – one who could inspire the players.

At the team’s first meeting he stood before the players and said, “Gentlemen, we are going back to the basics. We are going to start at the beginning.”

“This is a football,” he said forcefully – making certain that each of them knew how serious he was.

“Basics” are important for any endeavor in life. They provide the foundation for growth and expansion. They assure stability in times of distress and doubt and direction when the path seems uncertain. They enable one generation to pass on a heritage of guidance and hope to another and give structure to families and institutions.

Paul passed on a “basic” to young Timothy. He gave him a “solemn warning before God” to be faithful in his responsibilities to Christ. “Preach the Word!” he wrote. “Be persistent whether it is convenient or not. Patiently correct and encourage your people with good teaching,” he concluded.

That “warning” has never been more important than it is now. We who are His disciples must be willing to listen, hear, obey and follow His “basic” teachings.

Prayer: It is so easy, Father, to forget what matters most in life. Help us to accept and follow the “basics” of Your Word and live lives that are pleasing to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: 2 Timothy 4:1-2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.