Welcome to NELA FCA

From my Glory to His Glory

You don’t have to shy away from glory; you just need to reorient Who gets it.

• CHASING GLORY

• REVEALED GLORY

• REFLECTING GLORY
• 
  LASTING GLORY

Join us as we dive into these four key concepts throughout the year to understand how you can go from chasing glory for self to living satisfied with giving God glory in all you do.

When you win a game, achieve an athletic goal, shine in a performance, or break a record, your natural response as a competitor is to want the credit and whatever reward is attached to that success. Another way you might describe it is “glory,” which can come in the form of recognition, renown, prestige, fame, or honor. There’s nothing inherently wrong in desiring good outcomes from your hard work. But if that's your number one goal as a competitor, it will never be as fulfilling as you hope it might be. You’ll always be tempted to chase your own glory if you don’t understand your true identity and purpose.

Receiving glory in the form of honor, praise, admiration, or rewards will naturally happen throughout your athletic career. But it’s when you find yourself chasing glory that it becomes a problem. It puts you out of balance with God’s plan, which is to give Him all the glory for what He has done for you and through you.

Because He renews your life—by giving you a new heart. When God gives you a new heart, He also gives you a new purpose and, through His Holy Spirit, new power to walk out that purpose with boldness, confidence and conviction. You can do anything God calls you to do, but you can’t do it alone!

As you are renewed in Christ, you have a new heart, which creates a new identity in Him. Then, there is a new purpose to your life: To spread the Gospel and live your life for Jesus. As an athlete, your new purpose might be to use your sport as a way to reflect how Christ as changed your life or to share the gospel with teammates, coaches, and others within your sphere of influence. You also have access to the power of the Holy Spirit, who will give you strength and courage to do what God has called you to do. As you step out in this new purpose and power, you will begin to see your life transformed.

We’ve talked about surrendering our lives to Jesus in exchange for a new and eternal life in Heaven. But true surrender comes from trusting God in all areas of your life—including your pursuits as a competitor. Thankfully, your relationship with Jesus comes with an incredible helper called the Holy Spirit, who guides us through the process of spiritual transformation.

As you trust God more each day, it will show up in two areas of your life: how you manage your time and respond to others. Both are key in your desire to reflect His glory in competition and life.

Even after you’ve decided to follow Jesus, the temptation to fall back into the world’s way of competing can be very strong. However, pursuing fake culture creates a lack of authenticity and often makes you hide behind your successes and failures. God’s way, however, is real and lasts far beyond the temporary highs you can experience in this life.

Chasing after your own glory produces temporary happiness and fulfillment. It can also lead to selfishness and pride. But when your hope is in God’s lasting glory, you will seek His Kingdom first and experience true joy and purpose.