The Legend of the Pipeline lives on through the stories that Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables and other coaches still talk about the 1994 Nebraska football offensive line. Venables was part of the Kansas State program that faced the 1994 national championship team. Venables recently told his players, ‘Guys, I’m telling you this—I’ve never seen anything like that in my life. They were telling us where they were running the ball, and we couldn’t do anything about it.” No doubt it was the greatest offensive line in Nebraska history. It could be the greatest in college football history. Yet, even with this most famous group of players, including Zach Weigert, Brenden Stai, Aaron Graham, Joel Wilks, and Rob Zatechaka, most fans only remember the quarterback, Tommie Frazier, or the running back, Lawrence Phillips.

Nehemiah 11 – Quiet Greatness

In Nehemiah 11, after the wall was rebuilt, God called many unknown heroes to relocate their families to Jerusalem and serve Him. Just like offensive linemen, their talents made them valuable but not famous. They were not anonymous to God! It’s essential to remember that our final rewards are determined by our faithfulness, not public applause or adoration.

As believers, we know our ultimate reward for a job well done will come from our Lord. Paul wrote, “Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men” (Colossians 3:23). Our ultimate goal should be to glorify God. How we compete should not be impacted by the amount of applause or earthly rewards. There is an eternal dimension that we should always keep in mind.

The Kingdom Coach and Athlete keep their eyes on the eternal rewards, not just the temporary earthly ones.

Bible Memory Verse – “‘…Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, they sought out the Levites from all their places to bring them to Jerusalem so that they might celebrate the dedication with gladness, with hymns of thanksgiving and with songs to the accompaniment of cymbals, harps and lyres.” Nehemiah 12:27 (LSB)