Within the next few days, NFL camps are going to be opening up. From high-priced veterans who are well-established, to scrappy free agents trying to catch on, to draft picks trying to adapt to life in the NFL, training camp is a very important time. Of course, it is not only important to the players, it is hugely important to the coaching staffs as they try to prepare teams for opening day. They are trying to understand what they have to work with in terms of talent, what they can do with that talent in terms of scheme, and how to have the strongest possible 53-man roster when camp is over.
This matter of building a strong roster, however, is not terribly mysterious. Solid teams are all solid for the same reason: They start building up front, using the offensive and defensive lines as the foundation for everything else. The teams that are perennially contending are the teams that start with the foundation—teams like the Steelers, the Packers, the Patriots, and the Ravens. They are strong because their foundation is strong, and that consistently keeps them at or near the top.
A strong foundation is absolutely vital in the matter of spiritual living. But for the child of God, it is not something we need to plan for, prepare, or develop. Our spiritual foundation is part of what we receive when we embrace Christ as Savior, Christ Himself is our foundation. As Paul told the church at Corinth:
According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:10-11).
How does this work? Paul says it works “by the grace of God!” Christ is not only God’s gift to us for salvation, He is God’s gift to us as the very platform for effective Christian living. As our hearts are rooted, grounded, and established in Him, our lives can be built and grown on the only foundation that never fails. As Jesus Himself said, the wise man builds his house upon the rock. There is no more solid rock than the Rock of our salvation.
Bill Crowder, Sports Spectrum Chaplain