A story is told about the great Vince Lombardi, that on the first day of camp for the Green Bay Packers, he would begin the meeting by holding up a football and saying “Gentlemen, this is a football.” He believed in the basics.
Another one of my favorite coaches – John Wooden, of UCLA fame – would begin each year teaching his players how to put on their socks and tie their shoes. He took nothing for granted.
Alabama recently completed their spring training in football. After winning the national championship a few weeks earlier, this team spent the spring concentrating on the basics or fundamentals of football.
I think sometimes it would be good for us to remember the basics or fundamentals in all areas of our life. This is especially true of our Christianity. Sometimes we can find ourselves just going through the motions.
How is your singing, praying, Bible study, concern for the lost, etc? If you are not where you want to be, perhaps a return to some basic fundamentals would be in order.
In studying the great letter of Revelation, we find the church at Ephesus was in need of returning to the basics. In Rev 2:4-5, they were encouraged to:
Remember their first love
Repent, or stop doing what they were doing, and
Repeat or do their first works again
This advice really does have application in all areas of life. For example, a couple who is having marital problems would be well advised to remember what brought them together in the beginning. Remember the good times. Remember the feelings early in the relationship. Remember…
The next step would be to stop doing the harmful or damaging things that are causing the problems in their marriage.
And finally, “do your first works”. It is not enough to stop doing the harmful things. You must be proactive. Do the things you did early in the marriage relationship. Perhaps remembering and doing those things that brought you together initially would be a step in healing the relationship.
I believe in the fundamentals. Whether it is in the marriage, your spiritual walk, or otherwise, if we find ourselves struggling in any area, the solution is often found by returning to the basics.