WEEK 4- Humility is Serious Buisness
MONDAY — Read the passage with your team.
5 Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 5:5-11
1 Gather together, gather together, O shameful nation, 2 before the appointed time arrives and that day sweeps on like chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord comes upon you, before the day of the Lord’s wrath comes upon you.
3 Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger.
Zephaniah 2:1-3
What does this passage have to say about humility?
Why is that important?
TUESDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.
1) What strong words do these passages use to explain the importance of humility (1 Peter 5:5, 8; Zephaniah 2:2-3)?
2) What is the penalty for pride (1 Peter 5:5)? How seriously does our culture take this warning? How seriously do today’s athletes take this warning? How seriously do you take this warning? What does it mean to be opposed by God? Is this a position in which you wish to find yourself?
WEDNESDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.
3) 1 Peter 5:5 commands us to “be submissive to those who are older.” What do you allow yourself to do (whether in public or private) that does not demonstrate submission to your coach? Are there others that tempt you toward this disrespect? Do you need to ask for their help in changing your behavior?
4) To what other people should an athlete be submissive? Does this command of submission apply to your relationship with referees, or is arguing with the officials just “part of the game”? Can your team make a commitment to submitting to officials, in a way that is an example to everyone who watches your games? How can you, as a team, help your fans to treat the officials respectfully, in order to avoid the judgment of 1 Peter 5:5 and Zephaniah 2:3?
THURSDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.
5) What does it mean to “humble yourself under God’s mighty hand” (1 Peter 5:6)? What recognition should drive you to humility?
6) What worries sometimes tempt you to be proud or selfish? What advice does 1 Peter 5:7-9 provide, to help you in the endeavor to be humble? Which of these “tools of humility” is something that you’d like to learn to use more consistently?
7) Do you believe that you can “cast all your anxiety on [God] because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7)? If you struggle to be humble, evaluate whether you truly trust that God will care for you, and ask your coaches and teammates to pray for you.
FRIDAY — Discuss sport applications of humility, and pray together.
· Ask your athletes to briefly reflect on what they’ve learned about humility this week, and to repeat some of those things. (Remind them of some of the Biblical truths about humility you’ve discussed, if necessary.)
· Ask your team, “Based on what we learned about humility this week...What does a humble athlete do?” Do not settle for vague answers; challenge your athletes to go beyond general qualities of a humble athlete, and to determine what those qualities look like in action.
· Add the results to your team’s list of descriptions of the “humble 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 humility — 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 humility or anything else), and pray together.
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