Determined To Win!

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Play to win! Seems sort of obvious, but we all want to win! I’m sure the athletes for this Sunday’s Super Bowl, both the NY Giants and the New England Patriots, represent countless hours of training, being coached, practicing, all with the intent of finishing with winning the big game!

Despite all these efforts, even the most trained athlete can be disqualified! There are rules to this game! As I did just a little research, I found that there are literally pages of possible penalties! Some seem a bit obscure to me, but some are really obvious:

WTHR/Ron Stienman

-Show up on the field on time! There’s a 5 yard penalty just for not starting either half on time (so, if Madonna runs over on the half time show, can she get the 5 yard penalty?!)

-Kick the ball, NOT a player! 10 yard penalty for this, and, it applies to your own team as well as the opponents!

-Be a sport! Flagrant unsportsmanlike conduct will not only get you a 15 yard penalty, it will get you disqualified.

How shameful would it be to go to the great lengths all these professionals do to win, and then choose to play in a way that gets you disqualified? Punching the official, dragging a player by the facemask, tripping a player, or any other unsportsmanlike action is just not allowed if you want to stay in the game!

Apostle Paul in his letter to fellow Christians (1 Corinthians 9:24-27) tells them how he plans to win. He trains hard. He stays alert. He lives purposefully, so as not to get disqualified.

We, like Paul, keep our eye on the goal, mindful and respectful of our common victory, so that we will never be distracted and disqualified. We live respecting others. We live with conduct becoming of one who keeps victory in mind!

Sunday’s Super Bowl winner is yet to be determined. But we are determined, and so is our win!