No Sweat for Steph

The Golden State Warriors have captivated the sports world with their entertaining brand of basketball. Steph Curry is an unbelievable player with a smooth and dominant game. My wife Jodi isn’t a huge sports fan, but she enjoys watching Steph play. The other night she made an observation that he wasn’t even sweating - alluding to how effortless the game appears when he’s on the court. Curry has undoubtedly worked very hard (especially since he’s smaller, weaker, and less athletic than many of the other players), but his game has clicked so well that he plays with great ease and simplicity, regardless of the opposition. Steph Curry’s ability to play freely and smoothly can encourage us in our pursuit of following Jesus. Life is absolutely hard, but life with Jesus allows us to handle challenges and suffering with His peace and much more ease. Battling against our selfishness/humanness is also difficult, but we can rest in His grace instead of having to rely on our own effort to earn salvation. The Bible says in Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG), “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Following Jesus and resting in Him doesn’t prevent the challenges of life from coming our way, but He does provide the simplicity of trusting Him to get us through. We don’t have to sweat when tough situations appear or battle in our own limited strength. Jesus provides peace and grace through what was done on the cross. We can now let go, live freely and live lightly…regardless of the opposition. I’m Bryce Johnson and you can unpack that! PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing me to find peace, ease, and rest in following and trusting Jesus. Forgive me for trying to do things in my own strength. As I battle today with the struggles of this world, help me to live freely and lightly because of Jesus’ work on the cross. In His name, I pray, Amen.