Play Hard, Play Smart and Play Together

If there was one mantra that my college basketball coach, Dean Smith, repeated over and over again, it is this: Play hard, play smart, and play together.

Coach Smith believed playing these three ways - hard, smart, and together - was an absolute requisite for a winning team.

Do you think Coach Smith knew he was developing his team using a biblical framework? He was.

Hard work. "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men" (Colossians 3:23).

Smart: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Proverbs 9:10).

Together: "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil" (Ecclesiastes 4:9).

In your life, are you playing this "game of life" hard - giving your all? Playing smart - with God's wisdom? Together - with good teammates.

Trust God's framework for your life. Hard. Smart. Together. If you do, it's the best way to win!

From Coach Smith. But more importantly, from the One who created us all.