99 Ways The Christian Athlete Can Glorify God

Athlete, God cares about how you think, talk about, and play your sport. He cares because He cares about His glory.

With that being said, here are 99 glory-giving resolutions for the Christian athlete to consider implementing into their athletic context.

1. I resolve to be more thankful than I was last year
2. I resolve to use my social media as an ambassador for Christ and not merely promote my personal brand
3. I resolve to grow in my leadership ability within the context of sport
4. I resolve to get involved in a campus ministry and/or local church
5. I resolve to search for a mentor
6. I resolve to be guided by what the bible says
7. I resolve to share edifying content on social media
8. I resolve to encourage my social media followers to follow pastors, ministry leaders, and sports ministries
9. I resolve to be a real human on social media
10. I resolve to follow people on social media who help my walk with God
11. I resolve to be a better teammate
12. I resolve to respect my coach even if he may not have earned it
13. I resolve to take time to soak in the moments that sports provide
14. I resolve to fight against entitlement
15. I resolve to recognize the people that go unnoticed
16. I resolve to be more coachable
17. I resolve to look for silver linings
18. I resolve to honor my rival
19. I resolve for my joy not to be conditional
20. I resolve to treat others the way I want to be treated
21. I resolve to think before I speak or post on social media
22. I resolve not to take the easy way out
23. I resolve to find contentment in Christ and not what sports bring
24. I resolve to know how to communicate the gospel
25. I resolve to share the gospel with at least one teammate
26. I resolve to memorize my testimony
27. I resolve to share my testimony at a local church or youth event
28. I resolve to glorify God through how I practice
29. I resolve to glorify God through how I compete
30. I resolve to pray for my teammates
31. I resolve to pray for my coaches
32. I resolve to pray before competition
33. I resolve to pray during competition
34. I resolve to pray after competition
35. I resolve to pray for my rival
36. I resolve to read to think about God more than my sport
37. I resolve to read the bible more than I read my playbook
38. I resolve to have a purpose and plan for how I will read the bible
39. I resolve to take on a leadership role on my team
40. I resolve to start a team bible study
41. I resolve to work on bringing God into my sport
42. I resolve to figure out if God actually cares about sports
43. I resolve to make time to hang out with injured teammates
44. I resolve to make a better effort in school
45. I resolve to stop yelling at the referees when they make bad calls
46. I resolve to pursue purity in my relationships
47. I resolve to be slow to speak and quick to listen with my teammates
48. I resolve to play the first game of the season as hard as the last game
49. I resolve to consider going on a summer opportunity with AIA
50. I resolve to start attending a local church
51. I resolve to use whatever role I play on the team to make the team better
52. I resolve to not show favoritism to starters over those who ride the bench
53. I resolve to change the culture of my team
54. I resolve to engage minority athletes on my team more frequently
55. I resolve to dress more modestly
56. I resolve to persevere in difficult circumstances
57. I resolve to ask my coaches what I can do to take it to the next level
58. I resolve to ask my teammates how I can pray for them
59. I resolve to set God-sized goals for my sport
60. I resolve to spend less time on message boards
61. I resolve to honor God with my language on and off the field of play
62. I resolve to not let my sport become an idol
63. I resolve not to gossip about my teammates and coaches
64. I resolve to memorize more scripture
65. I resolve to forgive teammates who have wronged me
66. I resolve to ask for forgiveness for the teammates I have wronged
67. I resolve to be refined by adversity, not defined by it
68. I resolve to put the team first and my needs second
69. I resolve not to take the Bible out of context to serve my own needs
70. I resolve to let coaches handle the refs
71. I resolve to strive for excellence every time I play/practice my sport
72. I resolve to play with the intensity and passion and confidence of someone who anticipates victory while still being able to process defeat with dignity and depth for having faced the test—regardless of the final outcome
73. I resolve to pursue winning on the scoreboard without allowing that to be the sole measuring instrument of my success
74. I resolve to grow and become more of what God intended me to be
75. I resolve to practice extraordinary sportsmanship
76. I resolve to be more disciplined
77. I resolve to become a champion of praise
78. I resolve to own up to my mistakes on and off the field
79. I resolve not to take Philippians 4:13 out of context
80. I resolve to tithe some of my per diem money to the local church
81. I resolve to be more patient with others in the locker room
82. I resolve to give 100% both publicly and privately because God is my Ao1
83. I resolve to celebrate my teammate’s success
84. I resolve to see competition and sport as a gift
85. I resolve to not take any shortcuts in my sport
86. I resolve to compete hard even if the outcome of the game is decided
87. I resolve to not let my team’s record determine effect my focus and intensity
88. I resolve not to use God as a lucky rabbit’s foot
89. I resolve to not take myself too seriously
90. I resolve to fight through any suffering I experience with courage
91. I resolve to prioritize my character over winning
92. I resolve to practice what I preach
93. I resolve to prioritize sleep over Netflix
94. I resolve to have the music I listen to reflect the principles I stand for
95. I resolve to maximize my strengths
96. I resolve to read a devotional every day
97. I resolve to write a handwritten letter to someone who has impacted my life
98. I resolve to read a book not assigned by one of my classes
99. I resolve to take a freshman out for coffee/meal

ps. I also wrote a book about how Christian athletes can glorify God that expands on a lot of these suggestions. It’s called The Assist: A Gospel-Centered Guide to Glorifying God Through Sports. If I had to add one more to the list and make it a clean 100, I would suggest you buy the book and read it in community with some of your teammates.