The United States Men’s Basketball team survived a major scare on Thursday, rallying back from a 17-point deficit to win 95-91 over Serbia in the Olympic semifinals.
Though the team trailed by 13 points heading into the final quarter, numerous American players made clutch plays down the stretch to complete the improbable comeback against a quality team.
Perhaps the most remarkable part of the comeback from the Americans is how well the contingent of superstars worked together to eat away at the deficit.
Each player on the American roster is a superstar for their individual NBA team and is accustomed to having the ball in their hands in pivotal moments.
Having a team composed of so many superstars can sometimes make it challenging to make clutch plays down the stretch, as players can have difficulty setting their egos aside for the team’s betterment.
That was not the case in yesterday’s contest, however. The Americans worked diligently to find favorable matchups, and players were willing to share the ball with their fellow superstars to put the team in the best position for overall success.
Guard Stephen Curry commented, “For all of us being superstars and Hall of Famers on our respective teams and what we’ve all accomplished, the buy-in is there, and it’s the only way you can do it to win.”
Many talented teams have failed to live up to their potential because the players’ pride prevented team success. Thankfully, such a problem did not present itself with the Americans yesterday, and they will now compete for a gold medal on Saturday.
As followers of Jesus, we, too, must intentionally avoid the trap of pride in our lives. When we are self-centered and absorbed with thinking solely about our “productivity,” negative consequences will always ensue.
The Bible warns us from front to back about the danger of pride. Scripture consistently speaks about pride as a sin that the Lord detests explicitly and will produce disastrous results.
Proverbs 16:5 (NIV) says, “The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.”
Proverbs 29:23 (NASB) adds, “A person’s pride will bring him low, But a humble spirit will obtain honor.”
Living in a society that encourages people to obsess over themselves, we must intentionally remain mindful that the world does not revolve around us.
We must consider that our Savior did not come to have people serve His needs but to humbly live His life in service of others, putting their well-being ahead of His own (Matthew 20:28).
Jesus’ life provides us with a perfect example of humility, which should encourage and inspire us to kill pride in our lives and humbly consider the needs of others ahead of our own (Philippians 2:3- 8).
Today, let’s put aside pride and self-centeredness and embrace a life of humility and self-sacrifice. As we do so, we can be confident that our humility will produce the right results that best benefit our team—the body of Christ.
I’m Matt Osborne, and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please forgive me for the times I allow my pride to cause me to act selfishly. Please help me follow Jesus’ example by living with humility and putting the needs of others ahead of my own. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
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