You are looking for great things for yourself. Don’t do that. - Jeremiah 45:5 ICB

When you started playing football, did you tug on your coach’s shirt and plead, “Can I be on the offensive line, coach? Please!”

Nope. That rarely happens.

Playing the O-line is the dirtiest, toughest, and least glorious job in football. You only get noticed if you do something wrong: “False start: Number 74! Five-yard penalty.”

Seriously. Think about the life of an NFL offensive lineman. They battle men their size and strength—or larger and stronger—whose sole aim is to push them around and crush their “skill” players. If an O-lineman does his job well, he can watch the quarterback or the running back get all the attention.

Offensive linemen work hard but get little attention.

That sounds like some advice the prophet Jeremiah gave to a man named Baruch in Jeremiah 45:5. He told Baruch not to seek personal gain. “Are you looking for great things for yourself? Don’t do that!” It’s okay to have ambition—but not just for personal gain.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we should be like offensive linemen. We should work as hard as we can to bring honor to someone else— and for us that is our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Since 1970, the average weight of an offensive lineman in the NFL has risen 62 pounds.

“Is it okay to ask to be a quarterback? I really want to be one, but if you want me to do something else—or not play football—I’ll still trust you, Lord.”