R-E-L-A-X

One word, powerful meaning. Aaron Rodgers the QB of the hated Green Bay Packers (jk, I am a Lions fan ;) ) was asked after a game how the team was struggling and what they were going to do. Rodgers told the media this one word R-E-L-A-X. People thought the season could be over for the Packers, but not long after Rodgers famously said this word, the Packers went on a great run.

What made a difference?

There was story told in the movie Draft Day about Joe Montana. Before leading his team down the field for the game winning touchdown in the Super Bowl, Joe picked out John Candy in the crowd and said, wow, look at that John Candy is here, that is cool (Paraphrasing). They said it calmed everyone down in the huddle and they went down the field and made history. Because it was in a movie, I am not sure if the story is true or not. I would like to believe so.

Two great quarterbacks, two unifying remarks that changed the course of the team. We have the ability to do this when we unify and not divide.

Paul shares about some people that were close but now were divided. His goal was to unite the people again…

Philippians 4:2, “I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.”

It seems at one point these two were close and a great help to the author Paul, yet now they are divided. Paul tries to bring them closer together again. Paul was about unity. Yes, even followers of Jesus have great divisions.

R-E-L-A-X. Rodgers said this and it calmed his team down. What if he did the opposite, what if he in that interview blamed others? How much would that have changed the season? We might not know, but everyone saw the reaction and the response of the team when it’s leader calmed everyone down.

You have a choice today, to bring people together or tear them apart.

Paul pleaded with a couple of Christians to be united, what can we do today to be united with someone we have been distant from?

Have a great day.

Dislocating my kneecap 20 times

Since second grade I had a kneecap problem. I was playing football with my cousin Tom and after being tackled my kneecap dislocated. Since then, at least twice a year my kneecap would dislocate. It was extremely painful and multiple doctors didn’t have a fix for it. I was told just go to physical therapy and I was fine. By the time high school came about, I dislocated my knee cap on a Tuesday and Saturday I was able to hobble my way to a 21:43 at cross country regionals. I dealt with the pain. Eventually I finally got a knee doctor that was great and she suggested surgery. What was supposed to be a surgery that would take me out from hockey for 3-6 weeks turned into a 9 month process. It ends up every time my knee dislocated, it put a crack on my kneecap. The picture of my knee cap looked like it was a spider web but it was cracks in my knee. It was a painful time, but I consider it nothing compared to what Paul did for Jesus.

Paul gave his life up to Jesus. In Philippians, Paul talks about what he has done to advance the message of Jesus. Philippians 1:12-14…

“Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.”

Paul was in chains for the Gospel. He was living in his own place but was chained to a solider/guard all the time. Yet, Paul still preached the message of Jesus. People knew that Paul was chained and in prison for the message of Jesus. Paul was not ashamed but rather was even more open to share he was chained because of Jesus. This resulted in believers in Christ being bold to share their faith for what Paul was doing while being jailed.

I learned a lot about being faithful from a former voodoo doctor. I was in Haiti on a mission trip and we met a guy who was a voodoo doctor. It was an extremely wealthy position in an area that didn’t have much money. When he gave his life up for Jesus, it was a life changing event. Not only was he giving his life to Christ but he was giving up his only way of making money. He was shunned by the community of voodoo believers, it left him struggling to live. But once he heard the message of Jesus, he didn’t turn back. He would rather be broke/starve then live under voodoo anymore. What we gain in Jesus can cost us in other areas.

These stories of Paul and the former voodoo aren’t to make us feel guilty. It should make us bold to think that Jesus is worth following. It’s worth giving up everything for, money, popularity and fame. We all go through painful moments in life, this can make us appreciate what Jesus on the cross even more. Jesus died for us. Paul and this former voodoo doctors understood this and were bold in their decisions to follow and share Jesus. If we believe these stories are true, we should be bold with sharing our faith, because Jesus dying on the cross for our sins is more painful then my numerous knee dislocations. Jesus is worth the cost.

Have a great day.