Phelps Wins 8th Gold and Gives Me a Sermon

I have been following the story of Michael Phelps who they claim is the greatest Olympian of all time. He not only has 14 gold medals, but surpassed Mark Spitz's record of 7 golds at an Olympic Games. No other Olympian has ever done what Phelps just has done. Not only did he win 8 golds, but he set new world records in each category and Olympic records in the process. One thing is very certain he is good, but he could never have achieved this without the help of some great athletes that helped him gain gold in at least 3 of the events. It was through the help of other athletes and names you will forget that helped him be so successful.

In life there are many who help others become successful and there is no mention of their names. There are many times that in the church the same phenomenon occurs. If everyone can stay focused on the end goal and strive for the kingdom without worrying whether or not some else gets credit or recognition over them self then the work will be the most successful. However when man starts to look at others and begrudge potential for praise or success and pulls back, then the end result is rendered not as effective. The key here is lack of self and more of team effort. We may not get everything the way we wanted it, someone may get praised when they could not have been successful without us, or a whole litany of other scenarios. We need to instead take hold of the "Fruits of the Spirit"(love, joy, peace, patience, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control) and be happy for them. We are not running individual races in our Christian walk, we are a team.