The Game Plan vs. The Scoreboard

"The mountains shake before You; the demons run and flee, at the mention of the Name King of Majesty. There is no power in hell nor any who can stand before the power and the presence of the great I AM!" These words remind us that God is above all. It should also help us to keep in mind that He is in control.

The central verse this evening says, "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, Who makes things grow." (1 Corinthians 3:6-7, NIV) I believe that Paul is saying that God uses His people to do various things, but it is Him Who is ultimately in control of everything.

For the most part, no matter what you do, there is some sort of score, something that is used to measure success or failure. In sports, there is a game plan, but there is also the scoreboard. "You see, the game plan tells you what you want to happen. But the scoreboard tells what is happening." (Maxwell)

These can also be taken symbolically and applied to things that are not sports. The game plan represents your plan of action. Such plans are detailed, possibly with step-by-step instructions. In contrast, the scoreboard represents reality, how things have actually played out. Chances are, the two measurements differ, whether a little or a lot.

Maxwell asks, "What do you focus on more: the game plan or the scoreboard?"

I would say that I probably focus more on the game plan. However, like many things, it depends on the situation at hand.

I don't think that it is more important to focus on one more than the other. Each has its place. As leaders, we must definitely have things planned out. However, we should keep in mind that there will probably be things that come up, causing us to change those plans. We should keep an eye on what is actually happening (the scoreboard) so that we know where we are in the present and how we need to adjust our paths to make it to the desired destination. Above all, though, we must keep our focus on God, Who will be with us along the way, no matter what, because He will never leave us nor forsake us! He has promised us that! See Deuteronomy 31:6 for proof!

God bless you!