Today a few of us took our annual trip to Colts Training Camp! It is always a good time to start a new season, new players, familiar players, renewed hope for the upcoming run to the playoffs. This was a joint practice with the Green Bay Packers. A double your pleasure, double your fun kind of day. Especially when you take with you a die hard Packer fan who will remain nameless! The whole point of the two hours is each team working on offensive teams, defensive teams and special teams while getting to go head to head against another team. You get tired of facing your own teammates every day.  While not full speed and no big hits, you get to see what your team can do against an opponent. They always start off with the First Team starters going head to head. Then the second team subs and maybe a couple of the third and fourth stringers getting a chance.

Over the course of training camp, every team develops what is called a depth chart. Naming the first string starters and the second, third and maybe fourth string back-ups for every position. This lets you know how ‘deep’ the talent is across the board. If Jonathan Taylor gets hurt who is the next in line? And that got me thinking…

Many Christians live their lives as if they are somewhere down the list on God’s depth chart. The starters are those professionals, pastors, missionaries, etc. But the average blue chair season ticket holder is somewhere down the list. But God doesn’t have a depth chart. There are no second string Christians on Team Jesus. No third stringers just waiting for their chance. God has equipped every ‘player’ with a set of skills, gifts, and placed them in the position he wants them to play (or live). The family you are in. The location of where you live. The place you work. The places you shop, eat out, go for entertainment. Those are all your positions, where you line up on the field. You are the only one that fills those places and fills the role you play in the lives of the people around you. YOU are God’s STARTER!

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  Ephesians 2:8-10

You were saved and a part of being saved is serving, doing good works. Serving in a way, a place, with people, that God prepared specifically for you even before you were saved.  First string on the depth chart. Nobody else can play your position. Mostly because they have their own position to play, their own good works to do on the team. If you don’t play your position, we have a big hole that nobody else can adequately fill. And the team loses yards or other team mates get hurt (burnt out, tired, discouraged, etc).

You have been uniquely gifted by God, placed in a position of influence, handed the playbook (Bible), most importantly filled with the Holy Spirit and sent into the game every single day. We don’t do any of this without the filling of the Holy Spirit. What a privilege! How much does God love us! How much does God believe in us!

If you aren’t sure where you fit, what your position is on God’s team, let’s do lunch sometime! Part of my position on the team is helping other teammates find theirs!

This is shaping up to be a great season!