Our purpose defines us and is often is the single biggest factor in determining the outcome of our lives. Herman Edwards was a colorful coach who was with the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets and most recently Arizona State, When asked about his his thoughts on teamwork he said, “The players that play on this football team will play for the name on the side of the helmet and not the name on the back of the jersey.” This is not a popular mindset in the era where young players vie to sell their name and likeness to the highest commercial bidder, but this unity of purpose is essential for a team to play as a team.
I always am reminded of a statement the influential theologian of a generation past A.W. Tozer who wrote the following in his book The Pursuit of God: “Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers [meeting] together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.” This Sunday we will study the heart of Titus 3 where the apostle Paul declares that unity must win.
