Blog Archives - COACH Toby Schwarz

COACH Toby Schwarz

Beyond A Reasonable Doubt!

2/28/2017

Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. 1 Peter 1:21

To convict a person of a crime, you must prove 'beyond a reasonable doubt' that they committed the crime. This makes sense because the penalty (often imprisonment) is very serious. In a civil case, to be found guilty, one must merely prove 'a preponderance of evidence' which is a fancy way of saying more than 50%. When it comes to trusting God, which standard are we using? The fact is that He meets both standards as long as we are open to the vast body of evidence.

Lord, you have provided more than enough evidence to prove that You exist and are worthy to trust so help me and those around me to not be confused by the opposing argument.

Need a Little Help here!

2/27/2017

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

Love the way God wants me to love? Can't do it on my own. Check! Joy as God commands, which is to 'be joyful always'? Can't do that on my own either. Check again! Peace when things are unsettling? I don't even know what forbearance means without looking it up. Kindness to people who aren't kind to me? Goodness? Faithfulness? Gentleness? Self-control? Check. Check. And triple Check. I can't seem to do any of those without the Holy Spirit.

Lord, please fill me with Your Spirit.

Sets and Reps!

2/24/2017

But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, Jude 1:20

One common element among all workout routines in the presence of sets and reps. A set is a group of reps. Reps (repetitions) are the number of the specific exercises you do in a row. The point is that no one gets stronger or improves their fitness by doing one push-up. It takes multiple push-ups over multiple days and weeks and months to get stronger. Building our spiritual "muscles" is no different.

Lord, help me to realize that I won't get in shape merely thinking about working out, just as I won't grow in my faith merely thinking about it.

Finishing includes More than Not Quitting!

2/23/2017

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7

We often give ourselves too much credit for not quitting. "At least I didn't quit". Well, not finishing is sometimes as bad as quitting and arguably worse. We may come to the end of a task but that doesn't mean we finished it. There is a big difference between coasting across the finish line and sprinting 10 yards beyond the finish line. Staying married isn't the same as loving your spouse unconditionally. Going to class isn't the same as paying attention and studying. Calling ourselves a Christian isn't the same as trusting God when it seems impossible to trust.

Lord, help me to not only continue on but to finish strong.

the impetuousness of youth

2/22/2017

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:30-31

"I am invincible." "Nothing can hurt me." "I can do and will do anything with no consequences." All of these statements have never been uttered by someone over 40 years old. Typically, wisdom comes with age. Typically, when we were younger, nothing could stop us. Now that we are older, we know better.

Lord, by your strength and not my own.

Life is a Verb!

2/21/2017

Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. 1 Chronicles 16:11

"Just Do It". Nike made a ton of money encouraging us to behave in a certain manner because we were too lazy to behave that way on our own. Life is meant to be lived. Life is meant to be pursued with intent. Life should contain at least as many verbs as it does nouns or adjectives. Our faith should also be active and alive and intentional. We need to "look" and "seek" and not merely sit around and expect something to happen.

Lord, I know that I am encouraged to be patient and to wait but I am also told by you to "seek" and "find" so give me the strength to do it.

The GOAT!

2/20/2017

“There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God." 1 Samuel 2:2

Lebron or Jordan? Brady or Montana? Michael Johnson or Usain Bolt? God or ...

Lord, when discussing the Greatest of All Time, there is no argument but only fact.

NoWhere But Up!

2/17/2017

He said: “In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry. " Jonah 2:2

Sometimes we feel so low that we can't go any lower. The truth is, lower exists. Unfortunately, it is often only when we truly get to that "lowest of lows" or "rock bottom" that we turn to God. When we find ourselves so deep that we can't get out on our own, we finally turn from ourselves and ask God for help. The truth is that we can drown in a teaspoon of water as much as we can drown in an ocean.

Lord, help me to realize that it shouldn't take for things to be at their worst before I ask you for guidance.

Odd Couple!

2/16/2017

The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

In life, there are those who are categorized as being "single" and there are those who are "in a relationship", whether it be dating or married or some similar arrangement. Regardless of whether we are single or in a relationship, we are never alone as God is always with us.

Lord, thank you that I am never by myself and if I feel alone, it is due to not choosing to see You with me.

If You Can Do Only One Thing ...

2/15/2017

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

God has a lot of choices. He can do a lot of things. Of all of the things He could do, He chose to do something for us. He chose to send His only Son so that we may be saved. Kind of a big deal. We also have a lot of choices. We can also do a lot of things (probably a lot fewer things than God can do). Of the few things we can do, since God did such a big thing for us, we should think about doing something for Him. And that something really isn't that big of a deal (difficult) for us to do but has a really big impact on our lives.

Lord, I believe in Jesus!