The Pittsburgh Steelers won their game on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, who came into the season as one of the heavy favorites in the AFC.

Of course, the Steelers should feel good about their week-one victory against a formidable opponent, but Head Coach Mike Tomlin knows they are just getting started.

He shared this in his press conference:

“We have a lot of details to improve, we need to continue to gain experience and cohesion, individually and collectively. And so, we get back to work with this week’s challenges, and it’s going to be a significant one playing the Las Vegas Raiders, who are coming off a big win.

Tomlin added, “…it’s just a growth process that needs to occur this stage of the journey. We walk into this parking lot each and every day, and we’re either going to get better or we’re not, and we better get better.

“We better get better as professionals. We better find our rhythm in terms of how we work. We better gain skills relative to the positions that we hold. We better gain insight about the game situations that allow plays to happen for us. There’s a lot of teaching and learning that just needs to continue to happen.”

Mike Tomlin always gives the best press conferences. His recent wise words are worth unpacking today, as they provide valuable encouragement for our own lives too.

Following a big win, Tomlin emphasized growth, getting better, gaining skills, having insight, and learning. Although the temptation is to get complacent after a win or “rest on your laurels” as they say, teams that experience consistent victories are the ones who keep improving.

As followers of Jesus, we’ve already won. Christ died on the cross in our place and rose again, and we are saved because of grace and faith.

While we continue to walk the journey of life, we don’t want to remain complacent, but rather have a hunger to grow (in Christlikeness), get better (develop our character), gain skills (using our spiritual gifts), have insight (through God’s Word), and keep learning (God’s truth).

Tomlin’s quote, “We walk into this parking lot each and every day, and we’re either going to get better or we’re not, and we better get better” is a great challenge for us today.

We all “better get better,” but thankfully we don’t have to “white knuckle” our faith or just try harder to be better people, spouses, parents, and workers.

God is the One who transforms us as we pursue Him and the prayer found in Colossians 1:9-10 tells us we grow as we learn to know God better and better.

Here is the prayer in the New Living translation:

“…We ask God to give you complete knowledge of His will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.”

Instead of complacency, a grace-driven effort is required as we show up each day eager to grow.

2 Peter 1:5-8 (NLT) tells us to “…make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Whether we’re coming off a big win or not, all of us have ways we “better get better,” and we most definitely will as we know God better and submit to His continuous growth process.

Paul writes in Philippians 1:6 (NLT), “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I want to be better and continue to grow. I trust that You are the One doing the transforming work in me. Please help me to remain hungry to know You because the better I know You, the better I become. Thank you for loving me the way You do. In Jesus’ name, I pray Amen.

Discussion Questions for PACKS:

1. In what ways have you seen growth and improvement in your life as you’ve gotten to know God better?

2. How has complacency or self-driven “white-knuckling” crept into your life, and what steps are you taking toward pursuing God instead?