Spring Tryouts

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Who is on your cheer team? Mine usually consists of the people who are going to tell me what I want to hear when I want to hear it, but obviously that’s not always the best thing for me. I know that I should always be listening to the voice of the shepherd of my heart, but sometimes the voices of the world are yelling while Jesus simply whispers the truth softly into my heart. Jesus says that his sheep hear his voice and follow it (NASB, John 10:27), so hearing the right voice is essential. In 1 Corinthians 15:33, Paul tells the Corinthians that they are deceiving themselves if they think they can escape taking on the characteristics of those with whom they keep company, and the warning is the same for me. When I am tempted to heed the cheers of all those who would feed my ego or stoke the fires of rebellion within me, I need to remember the One who cheers my heart with nothing but the raw truth. The Bible is full of this truth: in John 16:33, Jesus tells his disciples that even though they have problems, true peace comes through Him: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (KJV). I shouldn’t be surprised when trouble comes, but I should seek the only true source of peace that exists. With all of this in mind, I’ve decided to hold spring cheer tryouts to see who is on squad. The cheer captain has already been determined: God—after all, “If God is for us, who is against us?” (Rom. 8:31). I want to surround myself with spiritual cheerleaders who will spur me on “toward love and good deeds” (NIV, Heb. 10:24) instead of allowing me to feed my flesh (Trust me when I say that  I really don’t need any help with that at all!). As for the rest of the squad. . . tryouts are ongoing. J

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