TEAMWORK
PHILIPPIANS 2:3-4
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others"
It was the last afternoon of the last bowhunt of the year. Dave and I were exhausted as we were just finishing up 3 straight weeks of guiding in the extremely high elevations in Southern Colorado.
We had one hunter left to fill his tag and we were double-team guiding. I was staying back a little and calling occasionally and Dave was moving forward with our hunter. Late in the afternoon we got into a herd of elk and the bulls were screaming. There must have been some cow elk that had come into heat and the bulls were running around frantically.
In a large aspen section on the mountainside we got in close and our hunter made a perfect shot. The biggest bull we had ever guided to was laying on the ground. Generally we would skin and quarter an elk in place and then pack in back to camp. This time we decided to get the truck as close as possible and attempt to load it whole. We were too tired to do it on our back.
This bull was huge in body and antler. We couldn't budge it. We radioed for reinforcements. Before we were done we had 8 of us and with enough brute strength we got the huge animal into the back of the truck. Only by using all of the strength of a team of men did it happen.
Paul's letter to the Philippians, in the verses above were a message of encouragement... and somewhat of a battle cry. God has put us together as a family or a team. He expects us to look to the other members of this team to hold them up... and in turn we strengthen each other and then the entire team.
Have you ever been part of an athletic team or even a committee at church, where one member considers themselves the most important, most talented or smartest? The other members eventually stop supporting these members and the entire structure falls apart. No matter how hard you try to be successful, it just won't happen.
That's what Paul is talking about. We must hold each other in higher regard then ourselves. Even last night as we attempted to hoist a bear up to drive under it, so we could load it in the box of the side by side... three of us could see a different angle (literally) to what we needed to do to be successful. If we hadn't listened to each other... we would still be in that swamp.
Our God always honors true Christian selflessness. It is the only heart condition that will bring us out winners in the end. If we all lead a selfish life, we cannot ever be truly successful.
Casey Stengel demonstrated with the New York Yankees, when they won 5 consecutive world series, said, "championships are won when individuals play together".
Amazing football "TEAM" performances have won several world championships for the New England Patriots in the last decade or so. They have a great quarterback and great coaching. But most of us might not be able to even name 3 more players on those teams. What they do is play together to the betterment of each other. That's how success is achieved.
It works for church and, what's more, it works in everyday life. It will work for you... when you, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others" (Philippians 2:3-4)
Help achieve the mission - GIVE today
Click the button to sign up for Dean’s Daily Devotional. FREE and delivered daily.