What does it take to be a Super Bowl Christian?  The six traits that define a Super Bowl team can be the same traits that define a Super Bowl Christian.        1 Cor. 9:24-27,       Phil. 3:12-14

 Desire.    Paul says: ‘Run to win.’  Desire is to want something.  Strong desire is the key to accomplishing anything.   Vince Lombardi said: “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.”

 Discipline.   Discipline is the fuel of success.  Paul tells us that a competitor goes into ‘strict training.’ Maturity in Christ doesn’t just happen. It takes work.  1 Tim. 4:7 says: ‘Train yourself to be godly.’  Just as there are no shortcuts to peak physical condition, there are no shortcuts to peak spiritual condition.   Unfortunately, too many Christians run aimlessly.   Does that describe your life?  Aimless, right now?  Again, what do you want?   

 Commitment.    Jesus said in Mt. 24 that ‘he who stands firm to the end will be saved.’   Without focus and commitment we fracture into too many areas. We scatter our efforts too broadly and end up doing none of them very well.  We become double-minded.  

 Sacrifice.   The key to success in any venue is a willingness to sacrifice.  Heb. 12:1 tells us to ‘throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.’    Vince Lombardi said: ‘Success is like anything worthwhile. It has a price. You have to pay the price to win and you have to pay the price to get to the point where success is possible.’ 

 Character.    Charles Reade, an English novelist wrote: ‘Sow an act and you reap a habit.  Sow a habit and you reap a character.  Sow a character and you reap a destiny.’

   Character for the Christian can be defined as being like Christ.  Col. 1:28    Paul acknowledged that he was not there yet. But he was moving in that direction. 

 An unwillingness to quit.    Let us never quit following Jesus, no matter what anyone else does.   Remember His willingness to lay down His life for us.    God never promised that we would be ahead at halftime!   He promised that in the end, we would be victorious.  Christians are on the winning side!   So, don’t ever give up.  How thankful we are that Jesus never gave up on us.