With God there are no limits

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 
Ephesians 3:20

 
            God is the world’s greatest coach because He gets the most out of people and always wins. There is endless wisdom in the Bible that demonstrates how God is a great coach and the ultimate leader. If we read the Bible, discuss it with others, and have an active prayer life, there is no limit to what God can accomplish through us. The Bible is full of stories where God takes ordinary people, and through His power they are able to accomplish extraordinary feats. Moses stuttered and was afraid to speak in front of people, but led the Israelites out of Egypt. Abraham was too old and Sarah was barren but Sarah still conceived a son. Peter was afraid of death and denied Christ, but spread the Gospel message throughout the world!
            It is comforting to know that God does not call the qualified, but qualifies the called. That is not to say that we all don’t have gifts and talents that God has given us, but God likes to show His strength in areas where we might seem to be weak. This way all glory can go to God as it ought to for any good things in our lives.
            A great coach can make all the difference. In 1986 the Minnesota Twins baseball team finished with a record of 71-91. The following season Tom Kelly had his first full season as manager. His motto, which is still written in silver lettering above the door leading out of the clubhouse at Target field was, “We’re all in this boat together. Everybody grab an oar.” Kelly knew that everyone had to do their part to have a winning team. It was his job to put the players in the best position to do well and it was their job to deliver when called on. Even the fans did their part in the 1987 season as the former home of the Twins, the Metrodome, had the best home field advantage in all of baseball. The Twins had only one all-star on their team, Kirby Puckett, but they played as a team. They went on to win the World Series in seven games, winning all four of their games at home!
            We all need someone to coach and lead us whether it is in sports or life. Christian actor Sylvester Stallone has discussed the importance of a great coach for exercise and the Christian life, “You need to have the expertise and the guidance of someone else. You cannot train yourself. I feel the same way about Christianity and about what the church is: The church is the gym of the soul.” God is the best option for a coach and the Bible is God’s playbook for how to live our lives. God’s wisdom will never fail us and His love never fails us either.
            Coaching is the art and practice of guiding a person or team from where they are toward greater competence and fulfillment that they desire. It can often involve hard work or overcoming adversity. God never promises Christians that their life will be easy but can use circumstances for people to grow in their faith and learn more about Him. Pastor and author John Ortberg lists some of the people in the Bible for which God used their situations to help guide them to greater faith in Him. “God could have let Abraham stay in the comfort of Ur, Moses stay in the splendor of Pharaoh’s courts, and Aaron stay in the safety of the crowd. He could have kept David away from Goliath; Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego out of the fiery furnace; Daniel out of the lion’s den; Elijah away from Jezebel; Nehemiah out of captivity; Jonah out of the whale; John the Baptist away from Herod; Esther from being threatened; Jeremiah from being rejected; and Paul from being shipwrecked. But he didn’t. In fact, God used each of these trials to bring people closer to himself—to produce perseverance, character, and hope.”
            A great poem that epitomizes this spirit is by James Casey called, “Climb the Steep.”
“For every hill I’ve had to climb
For every rock that bruised my feet
For all the blood and sweat and grime
For blinding storms and burning heat
My heart sings but a grateful song
These were the things that made me strong.”

             Great coaches can motivate their athletes to have a determined mindset, embrace difficulties, and have a positive outlook no matter what happens. From God we know that we can have a resolute mentality because God does not make junk. The Bible says that we are God’s masterpieces. Masterpieces are handcrafted and individually made special and that is what we are. Because of this we know that with God we are capable of handling life’s difficulties. We can have a positive outlook on life and inner joy because we know that we have a spot reserved in heaven.  Christians are all evident of God’s great coaching ability and the Bible has many great stories of how God changed lives for the better and accomplished much more than people could have imagined.

References
Schultz, G. (2006). “Actor Sylvester stallone returns to christian faith, includes conversion in new movie.” http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jan/07011201.html\\

Ortberg, J. (2010). The me I want to be. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Casey, J. (1985). “Climb the steep.”