Week 15- Shout for Joy to the Lord

MONDAY — Read the passage with your team. 

1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
   come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
   It is he who made us, and we are his;
   we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
   and his courts with praise;
   give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
   his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 100

1 Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous;
   it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
2 Praise the Lord with the harp;
   make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
3 Sing to him a new song;
   play skillfully, and shout for joy.

Psalm 33:1-3

What does this passage have to say about joy?

Why is that important?

TUESDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.

What does Psalm 100 instruct you to do?  Can you practice this as you bring an end to your season?  (The discussion questions for today and tomorrow will focus on the activity of doing so.)

1) “Shout for joy to the Lord.”  Celebrate the good things that God has done for you recently — maybe during the course of this season.  These may be things that brought you immediate happiness, or perhaps difficult         experiences that caused you to grow in your relationship with Him.  While you celebrating God’s gifts to you, also remember the ultimate and lasting joy of your salvation.

2) “Know that the Lord is God.”  Talk to one another about the greatness and holiness of God.  Why is He worthy of your praise?  What truths and   experiences cause you to regard Him with awe?  In what times has He proven to be too wonderful for you to comprehend?

WEDNESDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.

3) “Worship the Lord...with joyful songs.”  Certainly you could sing praises to Him, if you choose to do so together — but there are other ways to worship (honor) God.  Think of some ways in which your team can together honor God for who He is.

4) “Enter His gates with thanksgiving” and “give thanks to Him.”  Share the things for which you’ve been thankful this season.  Be certain to give God praise for being the source of your joy.

THURSDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.

5) What is the expression of joy described in Psalm 33?  How can you, as an athlete, express your joy?  How does the musician play his harp, in order to express joy (v. 3)?  How should you use your athletic gifts, in order to express joy?  Why does your skillful use of your athletic gifts please God?

6) If you determine that God actually cares about how you participate in  athletics, what sort of “new song” should you compose in order to glorify Him in your athletic endeavors?  What commitments will you make, in order to engage in athletics in a way that reflects your relationship with Him?  Sharing these commitments with your coaches and teammates is a good idea, so that they can encourage you and hold you accountable to doing so.

FRIDAY — Discuss sport applications of joy, and pray together.

· Ask your athletes to briefly reflect on what they’ve learned about joy this week, and to repeat some of those things.  (Remind them of some of the Biblical truths about joy you’ve discussed, if necessary.)

· Ask your team, “Based on what we learned about joy this week...What does a joyful athlete do?”  Do not settle for vague answers; challenge your athletes to go beyond general qualities of a joyful athlete, and to  determine what those qualities look like in action.

· Add the results to your team’s list of descriptions of the “joyful athlete”, and be sure the list is displayed somewhere that is constantly visible, as a reminder to the team.

· Pray together as a team.  Encourage your athletes to pray for your team’s growth in regard to the discipline of joy — especially in relation to some of the issues and challenges that you discussed together this week.  Challenge them to also ask for forgiveness, when applicable.  Give time for athletes to request prayer (regarding joy or anything else), and pray together.