LINE TOUCHERS AND FINISHERS

DAY 24 Winning Edge Devotions

2 Corinthians 8: 7 But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also .8 I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. 10 And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. 11 So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have.

Continuing the theme of being a finisher, I wanted to point out one other idea in adding this quality to our lives.

At practice, we talk a lot about being a ‘line toucher’. This is a reference to running gassers or other drills where a player has to touch a line before changing direction. We always station coaches at these marks to check for athletes that may miss the line and come up short. This is a severe penalty to us. Players who miss reps or don’t finish will usually fall short under pressure, when the game is on the line.

If out ream takes pride in finishing well, touching lines, and going full speed until the whistle then we will make finishing a habit. Teams that finish everything well have a better chance of success.

The theme of winning edges is starting to become very clear. Our God has created us for excellence and winning. Our lives should be victorious marches through the uncertain circumstances of life. We should always have joy, positive intensity, and attitudes of gratitude. Yes, we fall down and grow weary. Yes, we get lonely, angry, tired, and bored. But God has provided a way to always get back up and back in the game.

As we dwell on the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus and bask in His love, we find an ability to go longer and better in His ways. And then we begin to see real change. This change begins today, as we become a line toucher- we want to do it all well and right.

That is what the above passage is encouraging us to do, Excel in all things, especially love and grace. Let your desire to finish be matched by completing it! Keep going, you are doing great!

One of my great joys as a coach is watching a young man become a consistent worker. I have one player in mind when I write this, As a freshman, he would often cry and fail to finish tough workouts. He was small, weak and insecure. Football was such a miserable experience for him that I thought about going to his parents and request that they talk him out of playing. But he never quit.

Over the next two years he began to finish drills. His body matured and he slowly began to improve. His sophomore year, I did not think he would ever be a starter, but I felt like I could put him in when we had big leads. His Junior year he started and caught a touchdown pass in a playoff game. By becoming a line toucher and a finisher, he became a winner! We all can do this!

Father, we are close to the finish. Don’t let us come up short. I pray that You will continue to build those habits of holiness every day so that we can walk in victory and grace! AMEN