by Shannon Caughey

Coaches who have surrendered their life in faith to Jesus Christ are committed to following him in all areas, including coaching. They desire to honor the Lord in how they coach and live. What does this look like? The Apostle Paul’s prayer in Colossians 1:9-12 gives us insight:

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.

In this and the next few devotions, we’ll consider several dimensions of being a God-honoring coach from this passage. The first is indicated by what Paul prays in v. 9: “We ask God to give you a complete knowledge of his will.” God-honoring coaches are eager to know God’s will.

When we think about God’s will, we tend to focus on specific decisions and details of our life. Is it God’s will for me to accept this job, take this coaching position, move to this place…? Paul, however, has in mind something much broader when he talks about God’s will. He is referring to what God is doing and desires to do through Jesus Christ. The decisions and details of our life, while important, are secondary issues to the bigger work of God: to redeem and to restore.

Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, God shows that his will is to redeem us from enslavement to sin and death so that we experience salvation and life in Christ. Rather than continuing to be held captive by sin and its destructive consequences, the Lord’s intent is that we know we are forgiven through what Jesus has done. We no longer have to keep sinning but instead are free to trust and follow Christ.

This leads to a second overarching aspect of God’s will: to restore us to his good intent when he created us. Throughout the Bible, we see that God’s primary focus is who we are becoming, not the specific details of what job we take, where we live, etc. God saves us through Christ not merely so we can go to heaven in the future. He desires to transform us here and now to be more like Jesus so that we live for him as our King—no matter what job we have or where we make our home. The more we become like Christ, the greater impact we will have on those around us, giving them a chance to also experience God’s redeeming and restoring work.

Coach, “the way you live will always honor and please the Lord” (v. 10) as you know God’s will. To “know” involves more than intellectual knowledge. It means living according to this understanding of God’s desire for you and his work in you. Since God’s will is to redeem you, you willingly turn away from the sin issues that previously infected your coaching or other areas. Instead, you joyfully embrace your identity as one who looks to Christ as King. Since God’s will is to restore you, you take daily steps to saturate your mind and heart with his Word out of a desire to be transformed by him. Your purpose is to become more and more the man or woman God created you to be in every context: coaching, family, professionally, socially, etc.

The more deeply you know God’s will in this way, the greater insight you’ll have in how this applies to specific decisions and details. For example, if you’re offered a new coaching position, you’ll reflect on how this role could contribute to (or detract from) Christ’s transformational work in your life. You’ll also consider whether this role would enable you to be a channel of the Lord’s work to redeem and restore those with whom you would have influence. Your decisions will be driven primarily by who God desires you to be and his mission for your life in this world.

God-honoring coaches are characterized by a deepening knowledge of God’s will. Pray for and pursue greater understanding of his will for you. Commit to living according to God’s will as you coach and in every other context.

For reflection: Ask God to grow your knowledge of his will. Pray for greater responsiveness to his redeeming and restoring work in you and through you.