CORE < JANUARY 1

A Personal Training Plan

I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. 1 CORINTHIANS 9:27

Self-control. Discipline. Getting in shape. A new commitment to stick to the plan.

How many times have you written down these goals or thought about them just before January 1? In a CNN report on New Year's resolutions, it wasn't surprising to learn that losing weight is the most common goal people set. In fact, I would guess that year after year that rarely changes — it will always be up there. It's what fitness centers across the country gear up for: an influx of new customers and increased revenue in January more than any other time of the year.

And then we come to our senses — around February.

When I was a player, we'd see that occasionally when training camp rolled around. Professional football wasn't a year-round enterprise then, and guys had jobs in the offseason. Some would show up totally out of shape when camp began.

As followers of Christ, we should maintain self-control and discipline, especially when it comes to taking care of our bodies. Getting in shape and making a commitment to stay that way honors God. He has given us our bodies through the miracle of creation. Taking care of them, watching what we put into them, and being careful about how we use them each day are responsibilities we shouldn't take lightly.

But that mind-set is important not only for our physical bodies but also for the training we do and the commitment we make to ourselves and to God. We commit to learn more about Him and about how we can be better disciples. It's not a passive endeavor. It takes resolve and repetition, consistently working at it for maximum results. And results will happen as we grow closer to Him. Real success in achieving goals — whether they were set on January 1 or not — comes when we know we can't do it by ourselves and look to the Lord for strength.

Where do you need improvement? More physical training for your body, taking care of the temple He gave you? Or getting to know Him better, spending time in His Word and with Him in prayer?

I'd recommend both on a regular basis. And ask God to be your trainer, to be there when you need to be pushed a little harder. He will give you the strength to help make your resolutions realities.

UNCOMMONKEY> Moving from desire to actually doing better is only achieved with self-discipline, and self-discipline only works effectively when you trust in Him to help. Amp up your self-discipline in the areas you need it most.

JANUARY 2 > FAMILY

The Importance of a Look Squad

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. REVELATION 21:1-2

In practice each week, our team would run our plays against a "look squad." That's what we call our backup players who simulate the other team's techniques as closely as possible. The simulation helps the first team's players visualize how our plays will work against the other team's. When we run a play and see it executed successfully in practice, we have the confidence to run it successfully during the game.

Visualization increases chances of success — not just in football but in any area of life. If we can't see ourselves succeeding as workers, leaders, parents, or spouses, for example, we won't have any confidence in those roles and be able to perform them well. But if we can see ourselves fulfilling our responsibilities effectively, achieving our goals, and relating to others healthily, we are much more likely to have the vision and the confidence to do those things. We tend to be able to accomplish what we can see.

God gives us a lot of pictures in the Bible — visions of who we are becoming and what His Kingdom is like. Today's passage from Revelation is encouraging because it shows us our future with Him forever, as members of His family. If we can see our tomorrow and know how good it is, we can live in confidence today. We have courage to face anything when we know this is what awaits us on the other side of it.

Think of life as practice and the visions and instructions of Scripture as a "look squad." Those words aren't the full picture, because words can only tell us so much. The reality of the actual "game" will look a little different. But like the look squad during a week of practice, Scripture's descriptions of the future give us and our families an idea of where we're headed and what it will be like when we get there. We can know that God is standing there waiting for us with outstretched arms. And if we can "see" that future, we will have a much better idea of how to prepare for it, much more confidence as we move forward, and much more courage to handle anything today.

UNCOMMON KEY> When you read God's Word on a regular basis, you'll discover what your future holds. Claim His promises and pay attention to His instructions. Seeing God in your tomorrow is the key to having confidence and courage today.

FRIENDS < JANUARY 3

The Best Role Model Who Ever Lived

I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. PHILIPPIANS 3:12

We have a perfect role model.

Christ is our example on how to treat other people.

Christ is our example on the influence we can and should have on those around us.

Christ is the classic and eternal example of the role model we are called to be.

No other role model even comes close to Him. A tour through Scripture reveals a Christ who was always finding people where they were and taking them where they needed to be. He was always seeking people who thought they were nobodies and making them into somebodies.

In the verse above, Paul makes it clear that the goal we pursue — here on earth and in the hereafter — is Jesus Himself. He is the example we are to follow, the person we were meant to be like. We won't reach perfection until we see Him face-to-face, but we are called always to be moving in that direction. In His strength, we press on toward that goal one day at a time. He can make us who we need to be if we focus on Him and allow Him to work through us. The same Christ who went around making somebodies out of nobodies is still at work in our lives.

God has a purpose in shaping us to be like Jesus. We become His influence — His hands and heart — for everyone around us. Wherever we find ourselves, we can influence people for His glory. That begins at home in our families, but it extends to every other area: our friends, coworkers, neighbors, fellow church members, fellow students, teammates — everyone we come in contact with. God doesn't just glorify Himself by sending Jesus into this world. If we will let Him, He glorifies Himself by sending Jesus into this world through us.

U N COM M ON K EY> Today and every day, remember that you are a personal representative of Jesus Christ....