26;34 “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. ... Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”
Romans 8:26;34 (ESV)
Having quality teammates makes all the difference between a good team and a great team, as well as between an okay experience and a truly memorable one.
We all know the marks of great teammates.
They are people:
- We can count on and trust when going into battle with them;
- Who embrace challenges and don't run from adversity;
- Who know and accept their jobs and will do them to the best of their ability every time;
- Who help cover our mistakes and are there to pick us up when we fall.
Great teammates help us shoulder the burden of failure and multiply the joys of success.
We rarely get to choose our teammates, but with God’s help we have the opportunity to team up with two of the best running mates we could ask for: Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is the floor general, play-caller, overall captain we all wish we had on every team. He doesn’t sit back and make decisions from the sideline.
He jumped into the action, lived as we do, and experienced the temptations and struggles we face (Philippians 2:6,7; Hebrews 4:15). Even with His experience and power, He accepted His role as a suffering, dying Messiah as assigned by His heavenly Father (Isaiah 53:4-6; John 6:38).
And just when it looked like victory was impossible, Jesus rose from the dead, empowered His team (Acts 1:8), and ascended back to His proper place next to God the Father where He continues to act as our mediator.
The Holy Spirit is that teammate everyone loves having on the team, but the teammate we don’t necessarily want to be. He does the unnoticed, unflashy dirty work needed to win games but doesn't stuff a stat sheet or grab the headlines.
He fills us (Ephesians 5:18) and guides us (John 16:13), comforts us (John 14:16) and convicts us (John 16:8), empowers us (2 Timothy 1:7) and gives us life (Romans 8:11). He transforms us (2 Corinthians 5:17) and gives us confidence as God's children (Ephesians 1:14).
He speaks to God on our behalf even when we have no clue what to say. The Spirit is the utility player we need in our pursuit of holiness and Christ-likeness.
That’s a team I can believe in, work with, fight for and sacrifice for. That’s a team I can love being a part of.
Reflect Am I looking to Jesus as my go-to player in life? Trusting Him and emulating Him? Am I recognizing the Spirit's work in my life? Am I aligning with this Godly Team's values, goals and pursuits?
