God’s Favorite Play

The Sacrifice that Gets Us Home
Phil Tuttle
John 15:13

I've prepared a lot of messages, but this was one of the hardest. What do you tell a group of thirteen-year-old baseball players on a weekend morning when they're focused on a tournament final that afternoon? What do you tell their parents and siblings, many of whom made the long road trip without any thought of hearing an impromptu devotional?

But since my son Philip was the only guy on the team with a preacher-father, I got tapped to deliver a biblical-but-not-too-churchy message. That requires a lot of wisdom, and I didn't know where to start. So I prayed. And the answer came back better than I could have hoped.

I had been thinking about a simple parable and, with the help of my daughter Emily's insights, fleshed it out before the big day. When the morning came, every ballplayer, every parent, and every sibling who had made the trip was there. The boys were all in uniform, seated in the front, thinking of the clutch hits, well-timed stolen bases, and incredible catches they would soon make. They had big, heroic dreams. So I began my parable with a big question: What is God's favorite play?

Silence. No one had an answer, so I offered my opinion: "I think God's favorite play would have to be the bunt."

"'Cause it's not being selfish," one of the boys suggested.

"True, but I think there's more to it than that," I said. "What do we call it when someone bunts?"

"A sacrifice."

"Right, a sacrifice. And look at the language we use for it. You can 'lay down' a bunt, and you can 'give yourself up' for the team. The reason the bunt is probably God's favorite play is because that's exactly what Jesus did for us. He laid Himself down and He gave Himself up. John 15:13 tells us, 'Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.' Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice."

I looked at one of the boys whose reputation for avoiding bunts had become a humorous part of team lore. "Why do you hate them so much?" I asked.

"It's a wimpy thing to do," he said.

"That's what most people think. It makes us look weak. It goes against our nature. Even Jesus tried to shake off the bunt sign the night before He was crucified, but what did He do in the end? He did what was best for the team."

I went on to explain the gospel and then brought the point home—literally. "What's the ultimate goal of a bunt?"

"To move the runner," several said in unison.

"Really?" I asked. "What good does it do to just move a runner? What's the real goal?"

"To get him home."

"That's right. And to get him home how?"

"Safely," they answered. It was starting to sink in.

"One last question," I told them. "What's the worst thing that can happen if you're the one who makes the sacrifice?"

"That the idiot on third base doesn't move," said one.

"That's right. And there are only two reasons that could happen," I suggested. "First, he wouldn't break for home if he hadn't seen the sign. You can't ever say now that you haven't seen God's bunt sign, because I've just explained why Jesus sacrificed Himself for you. And reason number two is if the runner didn't really believe his teammate would follow through on the sign. The question is, then, do you really believe Jesus would make that sacrifice for you?"

There was a long silence. No one moved.

"I think God has enjoyed watching you guys play this weekend," I continued. "And I think His favorite play is the bunt. That's the play He called to make it possible—for whoever is willing to believe—to make it home safely."

Later that afternoon, our boys did whatever it took to make it around to home. But I have a hunch that some of them may have already done that earlier in the day—and they didn't even have to slide.

Care Enough to Discipline

Lets be honest. It takes loads of time, effort and more to hold students accountable to a standard. Yes, the parents have the primary responsibility to do this in the life of their child, yet as teachers we can reinforce or even stand in the gap. Your discipline is a function of your love for that student.

"My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. (Proverbs 3:11-12) The word love here is Aheb which according to Richards Expository Dictionary is given as the motive for Gods choice of and continuing commitment to Israel. Do we have a continuing commitment to our students which translates into our being diligent in setting and keeping standards?

Eli was an example in the Bible of one who did not have this commitment. Eli knew his sons were in sin, but he refused to correct or hold them to standards. In I Samuel 3:13, notice Eli's lack of restraining his sons: "And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them." This lack of love through not keeping God's standards brought judgment not only upon himself but to his family as well.

Look at how clearly this point is made in Scripture: "And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives." (Hebrews 12:5,6)

Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. (Revelation 3:19)

You are VERY loving when you set and keep standards for your students.

May God's grace and peace be with you,
Mark Strohm, Jr

Your Preparedness Posture for Each Day

Charles Bloomfield

Several years ago, while driving to school early one morning, I had the radio tuned to Christian broadcasting and heard the night announcer signing off. His closing admonition was "Do what you can while abiding in Christ." That well-timed word struck a responsive chord in me, so much so that it headlines the form I use in my planning notebook (my 'to-do" list) to keep track of the things I need to accomplish (or at least keep myself aware of!) each day.

What we do in Christian school teaching and Christian school administration is rewarding work, but it is not easy work! The job descriptions ("position profiles") for teaching and administration are comprehensive and demanding. Failure to give adequate attention to any point subjects our ministries and our schools to decreased effectiveness in the lives of our students and their families, and even failure. And then there are the numerous unplanned things during the day that demand our attention. (Do you ever wonder how you even manage to faithfully fulfill the tasks and responsibilities outlined in your job description?)

So it can be disconcerting to not be able to accomplish what we thought were the "must-do" things for the day. We find ourselves taking more work home at night than we planned and fretting over the pace of things—more to accomplish than it is possible to accomplish. It is often at that point where we lose our spiritual peace and begin to worry about our frailty and perceived ineffectiveness.

Does this resonate with you? We try hard to increase our output, but we are unable to see success in doing so over the long term, and besides that we're inconsistent at maintain the sustained output of additional energy. I saw this sign in a real estate office window one time: "Work smarter, not harder." While there is some truth to that admonition, there are also limits to it.

We can also find ourselves fretting about output when we forget that the unplanned things that come across our desk are, after all, by divine appointment. We forget that God has used us in those small, incidental things while commiserating over the number of things not yet checked off on our to-do lists.

The Scriptures that will come to mind as you read this undoubtedly include John 15 and 1 Corinthians 3. It was a blessed day in my early Christian experience when I discovered the truth of abiding in Christ—the John 15 passage. The last half of verse 5, "apart from me you can nothing," is a truth that needs to grip all of us. Likewise 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 where we are admonished to build on the foundation of Jesus Christ with lasting building materials and remember that the test is the quality of work we do, not the quantity (verse 13).

So let us do what we can while abiding in Christ. Live in the Word, "walk close", and trust your daily output to His working in and through you. As you do so, may you see much fruit for your labor this school year and in your continuing ministry.