Proverbs 15:3 (ESV)
The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
keeping watch
on the evil and the good.
Success is often reached through the little stuff. When
Pat Riley coached the Los Angeles Lakers from 1982 to 1990, the team won four
NBA championships. In taking over the New York Knicks in 1991, Riley inherited
a team with a losing record. But the Knicks seemed able to play above their
abilities and even gave the eventual champions, the Chicago Bulls, their
hardest competition in the play-offs.
How does Riley do it? He says his talent lies in
attention to detail. For example, every NBA team studies videotapes and
compiles statistics to evaluate players' game performances. But Riley's use of
these tools is more comprehensive than that of his rivals. "We measure
areas of performance that are often ignored: jumping in pursuit of every
rebound even if you don't get it, swatting at every pass, diving for loose
balls, letting someone smash into you in order to draw a foul."
After each game, these "effort" statistics are
punched into a computer. "Effort," Riley explains, "is what
ultimately separates journeyman players from impact players. Knowing how well a
player executes all these little things is the key to unlocking career-best
performances."
As Christians we need to pay attention to the details as
we strive to serve our Lord. We can find those details in the Bible. So its important
for us to get into His word daily. Make an effort today to start digging into
the Bible today.
Dear Lord, we pray today that we would pay attention to
the details starting with getting into Your word so that we can see what You
want for us to do. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
