Week 4 Devotion - Honor

Virtue: HONOR - Letting someone know you see how valuable they really are

• Scripture Verse: Love each other deeply. Honor others more than yourselves. Romans 12:10 (NIrV)

Bottom Line: Honor others more than yourself.

Do you ever get a case of “me-itis?” What’s “me-itis,” you ask? Well, it sounds a little like this.

“Hey, I wanted to be picked first.”

“Give it back. That’s mine.”

“It’s my turn.”

Have you ever heard someone say that before? Have you ever said something like that? If we’re honest, I think we’d all admit that it’s pretty easy to only think about ourselves. After all, no one has to remind us to put ourselves first. We do that naturally. I mean, no one has to remind me to cut someone off in traffic so I won’t be late for work. No one has to remind you to cut in line when you don’t want to wait your turn, right? Putting ourselves first just comes naturally.

What’s harder is to think about others. Don’t believe me? Well, let’s talk about what this looks like on the soccer field for a minute. Are you a sore loser? A bad sport? If another team scores a goal, are you happy for them? What about if the other team wins the whole game? Do you congratulate them on playing a good game? Or what if someone else on our team scores a goal instead of you? Would you choose to honor them for a great play or become frustrated because you wanted the chance to score? Instead of being happy, do you think, “That should have been me”?

The truth is, it’s not easy to be others-focused. What’s easy is to be me-focused. But can you imagine what the world would be like if everyone only looked out for themselves? What would our team look like on the field if we didn’t work together and only cared about ourselves? God has a better plan. He wants us to think about others more than we think about what’s in it for us. In fact, in Romans 12:10 it says that we should “love each other deeply. Honor others more than yourselves.”

Week 3 Devotion - Honor

Virtue: HONOR - Letting someone know you see how valuable they really are

• Scripture Verse: Love each other deeply. Honor others more than yourselves. Romans 12:10 (NIrV)

Bottom Line: Honor those who are overlooked.

Have you guys ever heard of King David from the Bible? If you haven’t, he was a pretty famous king—one of the first kings of Israel. But before he became King, did you know that he was just a regular kid like you? In fact, if you could go back in time and meet David as a young boy, he’d never believe you if you told him that he would one day be a king.

Guess who else didn’t believe it? His family. See, David had brothers—a lot of brothers. In fact, David had seven older brothers. One day, while David was out taking care of his family’s sheep, a man named Samuel came to see his father, Jesse. God had told Samuel that the next King would be one of Jesse’s sons. So Jesse brought each of his sons to Samuel so that he could find the one God had chosen as King. But after looking at all seven of David’s older brothers, Samuel said, “the Lord has not chosen any of these.” You see, God’s choice for a new king didn’t have anything to do with how strong or handsome or popular he was. God wasn’t looking at the outside. He was looking at what was on the inside—his character, the way he treated others, the condition of his heart.

Samuel asked Jesse if he had any more sons. When Jesse told him that he had one more, he went on to say, “He’s out in the fields, tending the sheep.” It was as if Jesse had completely overlooked David. But God hadn’t overlooked him. David, while the youngest—maybe even the least likely choice in people’s eyes—was God’s choice to be King.

This is a great lesson for us too. God wants us to remember to honor those who are overlooked. He wants you to care about the kid in your class who everyone else ignores. He wants you to look out for someone who is constantly is picked on. Honor those who are overlooked.

Tiger Schedule

This week:  Lions vs Lady Tigers (wear Blue) on Field B
Picture Day September 21st at 9:51am (get there early)

Practice every Thursday @ 6pm-7pm on  Field A
No Practice October 10th and No Game October 12th for Fall Break
Final Game October 26th

Week 2 Devotion - Honor

Virtue: HONOR - Letting someone know you see how valuable they really are

• Scripture Verse: Love each other deeply. Honor others more than yourselves. Romans 12:10 (NIrV)

Bottom Line: Honor those who are over you.

Do you ever wish you could make the rules sometimes? After all, it might seem like your rules would be more fun. Like maybe you would choose to eat ice cream for dinner or wear your favorite rain boats everyday—even when it’s not raining. Wouldn't it just be awesome if you could make your own rules instead of always having to obey what adults tell you?

The truth is, everyone has someone who is over them. Even adults. Even me. For example, I have a boss at my job. I’m responsible to listen to him/her and follow his/her leadership. I still honor my parents by respecting their opinion and listening to what they have to say. God has put people in our lives to be in authority over us. And he wants us to show honor to them. Honor is letting someone know you see how valuable they really are.

God wants us to honor the people who are over us because they want what’s best for us. Your parents have rules in place, not because they don’t want you to have any fun, but because they know those rules will protect you. For instance, you have a certain bedtime because your parents know that getting enough sleep is one big way to stay healthy. I ask you to run drills and practice them over and over because I know it will help you play a better game and it will help you work together as a team. When you choose to honor those who are over you, you show God that you trust him.

Game Day Stars

These are the game day stars and what they mean:

•  The blue star represents EFFORT: What does it mean to show effort? It means working hard to try your best at all times.
• The gold star represents SPORTSMANSHIP: What does it mean to show sportsmanship? It means treating the people you play with and against the same way you want to be treated. You show respect for yourself, your teammates, opponents, the referees and the coach. You play fair and follow the rules.

Rules Unique to Upward Soccer

Upward Soccer Philosophy

The special rules for Upward Soccer exist to provide the best sports experience for every child.

The rules for Upward Soccer take precedence over all Federation International Football Association (FIFA) laws. Where the rules unique to Upward Soccer stop, the FIFA Laws of the Game begin. The spirit in which the game is played is equal to the written laws that govern the game. Preserving the integrity of the sport is important, but whenever questions about the interpretation of a foul occur, always refer back to the rules for Upward Soccer.

Keep in mind that everyone, novice or experienced, will make mistakes. However, strive to keep mistakes to an acceptable minimum by learning the rules for Upward Soccer and the FIFA Laws of the Game. A copy of the FIFA Laws of the Game can be found at www.FIFA.com.