WF Pride – July 21, 2014 – Focus on Unity and Humility

WF Pride – July 21, 2014

Core Value: Focus on unity and humility

Chad Cottingham

I love football!  I’m a bit of a junkie when it comes to watching and following it.  I like high school and college, but my favorite is pro football.  I watch the draft (I actually watch draft coverage for weeks prior), I read about practice, about players, about coaches and different philosophies.   However, I’m not a big Fantasy Football fan.  What I am is a loyal Detroit Lions fan – have been since I was a kid.  Don’t laugh, they’ll win the Super Bowl someday – well hopefully someday in my lifetime.

I guess the reason I love football so much is that you have 11 players on offense and or defense playing as one.  If one player on offense misses his assignment the play is not successful. If one player on defense doesn’t do his job it could be a touchdown for the opposing team. Everyone has to do their job each and every play.  Every player has to play in unison, as one unit, as one team.   No one player is more valuable than the next.  The lineman have to do their job and block or the running back won’t gain any yards, and the quarterback won’t have time to throw to the speedy and athletic wide receivers.  The teams that figure this out and play as one unit are the teams winning games, winning championships, and even winning Super Bowls.   The teams that struggle with this are usually the teams that have problems with humility.  Players that start thinking they are better than other players, and that the team wouldn’t do well without them are a detriment to the team. This prideful mindset begins to erode the team unity.   Players that love themselves more than the team are a cancer.  They effect the team in a negative way.

Just like all the positions on a football team are valuable and important in their own way, all of our positions at Walther Farms are valuable for the success of the entire team.  Whether you are a Farm Manager in Georgia, or General Manager in Colorado, in charge of seed operations in the U.P, are in transportation, are an accounting associate at headquarters or the CEO, everyone’s role is crucial to the Walther Farms team.    Are you helping and supporting others on the job?  Are you working together as one?  Are you a positive influence that others gravitate towards? Or do you complain and become negative?  Are you a cancer to others around you?

There is one more area that we must come together in unity.  Jesus Christ calls us to work as one to do His work.  To humble ourselves to help others win the game of life.  He needs all of us using our God given gifts and talents, where we are planted, to further the Kingdom of God.

~ The apostle Paul compares the body of Christ to a human body. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 – The human body has many different parts, but the many parts make up only one body.  So it is with the body of Christ.  Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free.  But we have all been baptized in to Christ’s body by one Spirit, and we have all received the same Spirit.  Each part has a specific function that is necessary to the body as a whole.  The parts are different for a purpose, and in their differences they must work together.  We must avoid two common errors: 1- Being proud of our abilities (staying humble) or 2- thinking we have nothing to give to the body of believers.  Instead of comparing ourselves to one another, we should use our different gifts, together, to spread the Good News of salvation.  ~ Excerpt from Life Application Study Bible – New Living Translation.

Challenge:  What are your gifts and how are you using them this week?

“Dear Lord, help us to be unified in our purpose at Walther Farms.  But more importantly, help us to be unified in our purpose in life.  Help each of us use our gifts and talents to lead others to You.  Help us to live and work together to honor and glorify You and Your kingdom.  Help us remain humble – to know everything we are and have is from You.  It’s in Jesus name we pray, Amen”