The Late Devotion Of The Day!

I know it's late but you can never learn too much about Jesus! Here it is.

No horse gets anywhere until he is harnessed. No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated, disciplined.

Charles Oakley, forward for the New York Knicks and an NBA All-Star, has a reputation for being one of basketball's best rebounders. It's his toughness, however, that has probably contributed the most to his outstanding sports career.

While other professional players seem to have frequent injuries or are sidelined for other reasons, Oakley has had very few injuries over the course of his 13 year career, even though he has absorbed a great deal of physical punishment on the court. He is often pushed or fouled. He puts in miles each game running up and down the court. He frequently dives into the stands for loose balls, to the extent that the court side media teases him about being a working hazard. According to Oakley, his tenacity and energy have an orgin: his grandfather, Julius Moss. Moss was a farmer in Alabama who did most of his work by hand. "Other people had more equipment than he did," Oakley says. "He didn't have a tractor, but he got the work done," Oakley says. Moss who died in 1990, developed all sorts of aches and pains in his life, but he laughed at them and went about his business. Oakley saw a lesson in that-nothing should prevent him from earning a days pay. Being focused, dedicated, and disciplined will make the difference between a mediocre life and a great life.

In a race everyone runs but only one person gets first prize.... To win the contest you must deny yourselves many things that would keep you from doing your best.

1 Corinthians 9:24-25

I have learned the same lesson as Charles Oakley had about his grandfather except I thought about that the entire devotion! Tell me what you think and learned about this when you comment!