By Matt Osborne, Staff Writer
The big news coming out of the world of sports is the Los Angeles Lakers’ decision to hire 39-year-old J.J. Redick as the franchise’s new head coach.
Though many insiders have speculated Redick would ultimately be the Lakers’ choice, it doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s an intriguing hire.
With the Lakers’ head coaching gig being one of the most coveted jobs in professional sports, it’s somewhat shocking that they’d hand over the keys to a recently retired former player with no high-level coaching experience.
All of this is in addition to Lakers’ star LeBron James being in the twilight of his career and Redick having extra pressure for immediate success. But,
whether or not Redick is qualified to be the coach of the Lakers, he became qualified the moment the organization deemed him so.
As followers of Jesus, none of us are qualified to be part of God’s “team” according to our experience, merit, and accolades. We’ve fallen short of His standard and are unqualified to serve under His authority based on our personal performance.
But the gospel’s good news brings us to a place of jubilant praise and thanksgiving! Although we’ve been disqualified from being part of God’s “team” due to our sins, God Himself has qualified us through Christ’s finished work on our behalf. It’s a qualification not based on our works but on the grace of God alone.
Colossians 1:12-14 (ESV) says, “Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
God has qualified us by grace, expecting that we’ll subsequently produce fruit as a byproduct of His qualification.
Just as the Lakers haven’t hired J.J. Redick with the expectation of coming in to lose games, God doesn’t qualify us as believers in Christ to continue with the same pattern of living before our conversion.
As we fix our eyes on the grace we’ve been shown by God and meditate on not earning or deserving our qualification, we can “perform” at a high level for God.
Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV) indicates a connection between God’s grace and our works and how His grace enables us to live a lifestyle filled with good deeds: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Today, let’s thank God that He qualifies us to be part of His “team.” As we recognize His grace, let’s be motivated to bring Him glory through the way we serve and obey.
I’m Matt Osborne, and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for the grace that You show me. I do not deserve to be part of Your eternal family, but You’ve qualified me through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Please help me to live in light of the grace You’ve shown me, producing much fruit that brings You glory. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
