Professional basketball players come and go. During the 1980s, the biggest stars of the NBA included Los Angeles Lakers superstars Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson as well as their bitter Boston Celtics all-star forward Larry Bird.
The 1990s then saw the ascension to superstardom of Michael Jordan, said to be the greatest basketball player ever to play the game.
From 2000 to 2009, the first decade of the 21st Century, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal of the Lakers dominated the basketball headlines with their three straight championships (2000-2002) as well as their constant feuding when they were still teammates.
Looking at these NBA stars past and present, I believe there are five non-negotiable categories they have learned to master throughout their careers that made them who they are in the game of basketball.
These five categories included passing, shooting, defending, dribbling and right mindset. Kobe Bryant remains at the top of the game for 15 seasons already because he continues to improve on his passing skills, shooting, defense, dribbling and maintaining the mental toughness as he goes through the 82-game regular season grind.
In the spiritual arena of life, every person who calls himself a Christian also needs to have these five non-negotiables if he desires to grow further and experience spiritual progress not just in 2011 but throughout his life. Here are the following:
1. Love for the Word--One Psalmist once said, Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Psalm 119:105)
God’s word can only be a lamp and a light if as a believer, we put premium in our time for His word. God’s word brings vitality to his soul.
Psalm 19:1-2 7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
2. Consistent Prayer life–prayer is never just an obligation or ritual. It ought to be a lifestyle. Because we communicate with a God who is relational. God wants to connect with us daily.
3. Lifestyle of Fellowship–a believer disconnected to the family of believers eventually cools off.
It’s important for every believer to be constantly connected to believers. For in the company of believers, we grow inwardly and manifests outwardly through our life of faith and good deeds.
First Century believers grew in their faith because they met together regularly in Solomon’s Colonnade in the book of Acts. Of course, today’s time of meeting may vary, but the principle remains the same–stay connected to the body of believers.
4. Passionate desire to Engage the Lost--Today, we are living in a world that is fast replacing God and the standards of the Bible with material things and the chase for their own desires. But Jesus believes in each one of us.
For as Christians, Christ sees each one of us as salt and light of this world. You may be the only Christian in your classroom, family, office or business right now, but as you live out His principles and walk in an uncompromising way, you will surely impact the lives of your family and friends, drawing them to God eventually.
5. Humble attitude–Humility is never a one-time thing. It’s a daily decision.
Jesus was humble from start to finish. He left His heavenly position to take on the lowly position of a servant. His purpose was to save us all from sin by allowing vile men to inflict punishment on Him and crucify Him on the cross.
His resurrection though completely destroyed the power of sin and death. His humility is something we ought to imitate daily.
By humility, it means considering others better than yourself.
And that could mean rejoicing on the promotion and success of other people. Even the people we often dislike. It means saying sorry or please forgive me if we have to.
You don’t have to be hard on yourself if one or a combination of these “non-negotiables” are not yet evident in your life as a Christian. Remember, the goal is not perfection, but progress. The more we let Christ reign in our life, the easier these “non-neogitables” become part of your life.
Happy New Year!