by Shannon Caughey

Coaches know what it’s like to have athletes who talk a good game. These athletes speak about how skilled they are and how they should be starting or higher in the batting order or more featured in the play-calling. Here’s how coaches respond to athletes like this: “Show me.” It takes more than talking the talk. These athletes need to demonstrate in competition that their claims are valid.

It’s wonderful to speak about our desire to honor the Lord as a coach. We can say the right things and even quote the appropriate Bible verses. But being a God-honoring coach takes more than talking the talk. The Apostle Paul emphasizes this in his prayer in Colossians 1:9-12, the passage of Scripture we’re discussing in this series of devotions. By way of a refresher, here’s Paul’s prayer:

⁹ So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. ¹⁰ Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. ¹¹ We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, ¹² always thanking the Father.

We’re considering several characteristics of honoring the Lord that emerge from this passage. So far we’re seen that God-honoring coaches know God’s will and are wise and understanding. In v. 10, Paul highlights another quality. When we seek to “always honor and please the Lord,” our lives “will produce every kind of good fruit.” 

The idea that the way we live produces fruit is a common one in the Bible. In Luke 6:43-45, Jesus asserts, “A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. A tree is identified by its fruit… A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.” Our true identity and the actual condition of our heart is demonstrated by the way we live, not merely by what we say. When we surrender in faith to Christ and he comes to dwell within us through his Spirit, Jesus transforms our hearts. And as he transforms our hearts, he increasingly produces good things through us. Our words, actions, and interactions will demonstrate the good design of the Lord for us.

Back to Paul’s prayer: notice that it is not just “some good fruit” but “every kind of good fruit.” It’s a reminder that following Jesus isn’t about a “spiritual” part of our life. It encompasses everything. What happens when we coach is just as much about pursuing Christ-glorifying fruit as what happens when we’re participating in a church activity or when we’re at home with our family. This challenges us to consider whether we’re producing good fruit in all kinds of situations: Do the words we speak to that athlete or parent who feels like a perpetual thorn in our side lead to God-honoring results? Does the way we respond to every competitive outcome—whether a thrilling victory or a difficult loss—bring about fruit that reflects the character and purposes of Jesus?

In Matthew 5:14, Christ calls us as his followers to be “the light of the world” (v. 14). He then points to the impact this will have as we do so (v. 16): “let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” The good fruit that comes as we live to honor and please the Lord will show those around us what our heavenly Father is like and why he is so worthy of praise.

Here’s a variation on a question you may have heard before: As a coach, if you were accused of being a follower of Christ, would there be enough evidence to convict you? Does the fruit of your coaching reflect the Lord and his character? Does it demonstrate God’s good design for your life? Does it prompt others to want to know more about the Lord and even give praise to our heavenly Father?

As a coach who desires to honor God, don’t just “talk the talk.” Make it your prayer that your coaching and your life would produce every kind of good fruit. In your words, actions, and interactions, keep pursuing growth in all the Lord desires for you to be and do.

For reflection: Ask God to grow and multiply the good fruit being produced by how you coach and live. Pray that the fruit of your coaching and life would prompt others to want to know and worship him.