Week 14- Mingle Trembling With Your Mirth
MONDAY — Read the passage with your team.
7 That day David first committed to Asaph and his associates this psalm of thanks to the Lord: 8 “Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. 9 Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. 10 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. 11 Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. 12 Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced, 13 O descendants of Israel his servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.
23 Sing to the LORD, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. 24 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. 25 For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. 26 For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.”
1 Chronicles 16:7-13, 23-26
9 Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.
Psalm 34:9
13 To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.
Proverbs 8:13
10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.
Psalm 2:10-11
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him — the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord — 3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
Isaiah 11:1-3a
What does this passage have to say about gratitude?
Why is that important?
TUESDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.
1) In 1 Corinthians 16:12, what does King David command the people to do? What response should follow (v. 8-9, 23-24)? Do you only understand God’s “wonderful acts” (v. 9) to be the things that bring your pleasure, or are you also grateful for “the judgments He pronounced” (v. 12)?
2) Who is commanded to rejoice (v. 10)? Why only those people? Why are those who don’t seek God unable to express genuine gratitude? (Turn back to Week 3 and reread Matthew 15:8-9a.)
3) Do you tell your friends and teammates about God’s goodness to you? Do you thankfully share what you’ve learned through difficult challenges or discipline? Does your team regularly remember God’s goodness? Could you set aside a regular time to together reflect upon and thank God for what He has done?
WEDNESDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.
4) What else does King David tell the people (in fact, all the earth) to do (1 Chronicles 16:25, 30)? Wait a minute...I thought we were supposed to rejoice in God’s goodness, and now we’re being commanded to fear Him? Why should you fear Him (v. 27, 33)?
5) Who should fear God? Should those who don’t know Christ be the only ones to fear His power and judgment (Psalm 34:9)? How does a person fear God (Proverbs 8:13)?
6) Do your teammates know you as someone who fears God (hates evil)? Do your opponents know your team as one that fears God (hates evil)? Do you (and your teammates) mostly hate the evil that others do, or do you hate evil in your own life, too?
THURSDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.
7) I don’t know about you, but this business of rejoicing and fear is a bit confusing to me. Which should we do, and when? Psalm 2:11 tells rulers to “rejoice with trembling”; what does that mean? The prophet Isaiah foretold that even Jesus Himself would “delight in the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:3). What, then, does truly fearing God lead a person to do? If you “hate evil and cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9), what will be the result?
8) As an athlete, do you tend to be … proud or humble, selfish or giving, lazy or hard-working, complaining or grateful (the list could go on)? What personal habits do you need to learn to hate? Pray today that God would help you to seek God, and thank Him for His love for you (which is the mercy that enables you to seek and delight in Him).
FRIDAY — Discuss sport applications of gratitude, and pray together.
· Ask your athletes to briefly reflect on what they’ve learned about gratitude this week, and to repeat some of those things. (Remind them of some of the Biblical truths about gratitude you’ve discussed, if necessary.)
· Ask your team, “Based on what we learned about gratitude this week...What does a grateful athlete do?” Do not settle for vague answers; challenge your athletes to go beyond general qualities of a grateful athlete, and to determine what those qualities look like in action.
· Add the results to your team’s list of descriptions of the “grateful athlete”, and be sure the list is displayed somewhere that is constantly visible, as a reminder to the team.
· Pray together as a team. Encourage your athletes to pray for your team’s growth in regard to the discipline of gratitude — especially in relation to some of the issues and challenges that you discussed together this week. Challenge them to also ask for forgiveness, when applicable. Give time for athletes to request prayer (regarding gratitude or anything else), and pray together.
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