In their book, Coaching for Character, Crag Clifford and Randolph Freezell offer advice on encouraging sportsmanship, so the adage “Sports build character” is not just a cliche but an accurate description of what happens on the field. Over the past decade, nearly every sports ministry has added character coaches and a character curriculum to achieve the same goal. However, character-building must be more than moralism. Moralism is “the practice of morality, as distinct from religion.”

Jeremiah 31 – Heart Change

Any plan for building character cannot ignore the sin problem. It isn’t enough to hold coaches and athletes to a personal moral code; God must change the heart of each person. That’s why Jeremiah announced a new covenant to replace the old covenant under which the Jews had lived since the days of Moses. The old covenant directed their conduct, but didn’t change their character. The hearts of the people must be changed, as stated in Jeremiah 31:31. “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.”

The old covenant attempted to control behavior, but the new covenant transforms character, enabling people to obey God’s will out of love for Him. The basis for the new covenant is the work of Jesus Christ on the cross (Matthew 26:27-28). Those who place their faith in Jesus Christ share in the new covenant. They are born again into the family of God (John 3:1-21). Every Christian ministry should want to see its followers grow in spiritual maturity and Christlikeness. This can only be accomplished by teaching them to put aside unrighteous patterns and replace them with habits of holiness.

The Kingdom Coach and Athlete have as their goal to become like Christ, think His thoughts, and behave as He behaved.

Bible Memory Verse – “For I know the plans I have for you; declares Yahweh, ‘plans for peace and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope.’” Jeremiah 29:11  (LSB)