The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the crookedness of the treacherous
will destroy them.

Proverbs 11:3

Every sport requires a playbook, but especially team sports. Without such a playbook, team members will not be able to organize themselves or work together to win the game. In fact, without the proper playbook, it is quite impossible to the play the game at all, let alone win. For instance, a team can study from cover to cover a brilliant USA football playbook. But, if that attempts to play a team within the European football game playbook (we call it soccer)…well…you can just imagine the nightmare consequences of such a disastrous outing. The two sports cannot co-exist and even compete together in the same game and on the same field.  

And that is exactly what happens when a born-again believer in Christ Jesus tries to live their life on this earth as a Christian, but they are abiding by and using rules and strategies and “running plays” from the world’s playbook. It just cannot be done; not successfully. In Jesus’ prayer before His crucifixion He prayed for all His disciples to be sanctified in Truth; in our terms to live our lives according to God’s playbook.

John 17:14-20

“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I also have them into the world.  For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word.”

Proverbs chapter 11 is basically a section of God’s playbook for righteous living, sanctification, with the overarching framework of Truth! Without this framework of Truth, righteous living is just a pipe dream; it is impossible. Without Truth we are trying to be sanctified…to be righteous without God’s playbook. This chapter also gives the disastrous consequences of living without Truth’s righteousness and our key verse starts the discussion of contrasts with the only two basic worldviews a human can choose. We must choose which team, which worldview, we want to be committed to. 

God’s Team: The upright being guided by integrity, God as The Truth!

World’s Team: The crooked treacherous ones who are headed to destruction!

1 John 2:15

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Keep the Bible as your life line; using God’s holy playbook. Remember, Jesus prayed for you 2000 years ago that you would be in the world, but not of the world; using the wrong playbook.