During the 2020 NFL season, many fans and sportswriters shared the same opinion about the Pittsburgh Steelers: they were fundamentally flawed. Osi Umenyiora, two-time Super Bowl winner, wrote, “The Steelers have not become a bad team overnight; they were never that good a team, to begin with. It was understandable, given that Pittsburgh was the only unbeaten team, that they received a lot of praise. But their overall strength as a team was overblown. Their record was deceptive and made it hard to assess how good they really were. Three successive losses have highlighted their flaws. The Monday night defeat to the Bengals was particularly bad, with an error-ridden first half costing them in the end.”

Exodus 24-25 – An Empty Promise

Similarly, mankind is fundamentally flawed by sin, as evidenced by the promise Israel made to God in the Book of Exodus. Though Israel unanimously and without reservation accepted God’s covenant, the nation’s promise was empty. Self-confident and self-sufficient, the leaders pledged to obey God’s laws. God fulfilled His promises of guidance and blessing with a solemn, legal transaction, the climax of the Book of Exodus. The deal was sealed in blood.

Before Moses returned from Mt. Sinai, Israel had broken every one of God’s commandments! They lacked the power to do what they had promised, and their promise was empty. Jesus established a new covenant in His own blood (Mark 14:24, Luke 22:20). His new agreement is to give eternal life to anyone who believes in God, trusting in the blood of Christ to take away sin! Furthermore, He sent His Holy Spirit to provide the power we need to live Godly lives!

The Kingdom Coach and Athlete are committed to obeying God through the power of the Holy Spirit. They understand that true happiness is impossible without obeying God and submitting to His will.

Bible Memory Verse – “So now then, if you will indeed listen to My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My treasured possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine.” Exodus 19:5 (LSB)