There are tons of cliches in the world of sports, but perhaps few get used with more regularity than the phrase, “Defense wins championships.”
Of course, we all know it takes a complete team effort to win a championship, but there is a lot of truth to the saying itself.
Even when we examine the two teams participating in this year’s Super Bowl, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Kansas City Chiefs, we expect that defense will significantly propel the winning team to success.
During the regular season, the Eagles and the Chiefs ranked in the top four in the league in points per game allowed. Even for a team like Kansas City, which historically has been most closely associated with its offensive firepower, there is no denying that the defense has carried the load for the team during much of the season.
Every front office in the league knows the “Defense wins championships” mantra. Still, only the teams who consciously invest effort and money into their defense will ultimately reap the benefits. They know the saying, believe it’s true, and act on it.
As followers of Jesus, there is a good chance that we have encountered plenty of cliches when it comes to our walk of faith. Some examples might include sayings such as, “Take it to God in prayer,” “You need to be in your Bible daily,” “You must be intentional about growing in your faith,” or “I just want to have an attitude of gratitude.”
On the surface, all of these sayings are meaningful. But just like football teams investing in their defense to build a title contender, these cliches are only beneficial if we put them into practice.
One temptation we can face is the temptation to be satisfied with simply knowing what we ought to do. Being able to recite many catchy phrases isn’t the same as being faithful to what God has called us to and intentionally following through on the truth of those sayings.
Certainly, we must know the beneficial cliches and, more importantly, the Biblical truth behind them. Yes, we want to understand what honors God and what He wants us to do: pray, read our Bibles, serve, be grateful, and give generously, to name a few.
However, we can’t just settle for knowing what “wins championships.” We must try to put what we know into practice.
Consider the following passages, which demonstrate the importance of faithfully acting upon the knowledge that we have:
“Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22; NIV).
“Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them” (John 13:17; NLT).
“So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (James 4:17; ESV).
“And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and its collapse was great” (Matthew 7:26-27; NASB).
Today, let’s not be satisfied with only knowing the right things to say and do. Instead, let’s examine our lives to ensure that our actions match our knowledge so that God receives the glory.
I’m Matt Osborne, and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please help me understand what I should do daily. As I acquire knowledge, show me how to be faithful and act upon what I know so that I bring you glory. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
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