Week 27 | Devotional | Shake the Dust Off

Sports have a magical way of bringing people together. Very few things bring people together like sports. They are a way for people to unite over a common cause or goal, and they allow you to set differences aside and battle together with your teammates or cheer alongside fans of the same team.

Some of my best friendships began on the basketball court where teammates become friends, and friends become brothers or sisters.

There is nothing like joining a team full of strangers and leaving family.

But every team won’t feel like family, you won’t love all your teammates, and all your teammates won’t love you back. Sports teach you how to manage conflict and how to work with people you get along with and teammates you don’t get along with.

The story of Jesus teaches us many things. The story of Jesus sending his disciples into cities and villages to teach and heal people teaches us how to handle the relationships we will encounter in life, and what to do if the people we meet don’t receive us or our value well.

In Matthew 10, Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness.

He told them, “Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!” (Matthew‬ ‭10:7-8‬)

Jesus told them to search for a worthy person when they entered a new city and stay in their home until they left town. He then says, “If they don’t receive you, shake the dust off your feet and go to the next city (Matthew 10:14).

Jesus told his disciples that not everyone will like them or accept them, and that is okay. When you run into someone who doesn’t appreciate you, shake the dust off of your feet and keep going.

Some people and teams will receive you with open arms, and some won’t. Some will see your value, and some won’t. Some coaches will love you for who you are, and some just won’t.

You can’t make anyone like you, all you can do is the best you can and be the best person and hardest worker you can be.

If the people love you, then great!! It will be a great experience. If they don’t, shake the dust off your feet, add value where you can, be the best version of yourself, and learn and grow for the next experience.

THIS WEEK

1 - Who is the best teammate you have ever had? What made them a great teammate?

2 - What was the best team you have ever been on with the best teammates? What made the team so great and what made the teammates so great?

3 - What was the most difficult team you have been on, or who were the most difficult teammates you have had? What made them so difficult to be with?

4 - When you have difficult teammates, what can you do to continue to be a good person who models the love and grace of Jesus?

5 - Have you ever had a coach who didn’t appreciate you and as much as you feel like you should have been appreciated? How did you handle it? What could you have done better or different?

The message of Jesus is to live a life of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control through the good times and the bad times. Jesus lived these character traits knowing that one of the people he was closest to was going to betray him by handing him over to the people who were going to beat and hang him on the cross.

If Jesus can live a life without sin and love and forgive the people who eventually beat and killed him, we can work to be the best people we can be, even in difficult circumstances. That is what it means to be and live like Jesus.

When you run into difficult people, shake the dust off your feet and be the best you can be!

For a Google doc version of this devo, click here: Shake The Dust Off