Vince Lombardi said, “Gentlemen, this is a football.” In 1961, Coach Lombardi began leading the Packers to victory in a new season. He didn’t have a “silver bullet” or “magic tricks” or “ace up his sleeve;” he focused on the basics, beginning with page one of the manual, “This is a football.” The team focused on the fundamentals of blocking, tackling, throwing, catching, etc. And that year, the Packers won the championship and Coach Lombardi won five championships in the next seven years. He never coached a team with a losing season after that either, and never lost a playoff game again. Focus on the fundamentals.
What are the fundamentals of being a Christian? What are the fundamentals of following Jesus? First, you have to know what your goal is and where you want to end up. Coach Lombardi knew it was all about winning the championship; what does “winning the championship” look like for a Christian? Where are you headed? “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2).” We run the race to win the prize, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:24, and as he said at the end of his life, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing (2 Timothy 4:7-8).” You want to cross the line and finish your race well.
But how will you get there? For Coach Lombardi it was the fundamentals of blocking, tackling, throwing, catching, etc. What are the fundamentals and certainties of the Christian life? “You must be born again,” as Jesus said to the Jewish rabbi Nicodemus in John 3:3. Paul told us in Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Jesus said the greatest commandments were to, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:27-29).” The fundamentals are to deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Jesus; don’t try to save your life, but lose your life for Jesus’ sake instead (Matthew 16:24-25).
2025 is here. You want to finish strong. There is nothing more important this new year than to know and follow Jesus. Don’t run aimlessly, don’t get distracted, don’t drift or coast in your walk with Christ. This new year is a time to “kick it up a notch” and “turn it up to 11.” Get back to the basics. Focus on the fundamentals.