4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,
6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
Newness of life. That means that the old is dead, the new is alive, and we can live in the power of that new creation. But, the Christian life is not confessing Christ but living in our own strength. We have to recognize that we are incapable of living that life without the power of the Holy Spirit moving through us, empowering us from within. Because our identity is wrapped up in Christ, we don't have to rely on ourselves any longer - He invites us to come into His freedom.
The apostle Paul had a clear understanding about the seasons of life: while we can rejoice in the good things that God has done in our lives in the past, and reject and reflect on the bad, we can make sure that we are living with a sense of satisfaction and expectancy in the present. He writes in Philippians 3:
13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
The Major League Baseball playoffs begin in earnest this weekend, and there really are some terrific matchups, including last year's playoff rematch between the 2021 World Champion Atlanta Braves and those pesky Philadelphia Phillies, who made it all the way to the World Series. The Dodgers face divisional rival, the Arizona Diamondbacks. The upstart Baltimore Orioles square off against another surprising team, the Texas Rangers. And, there are last year's World Series winners, the Houston Astros vs. the Minnesota Twins.
I came across an article recently that spotlighted major league baseball players who followed God's call into the ministry. Some of them were notable players who faced competitive struggles - against themselves. One such individual is quite familiar to Faith Radio listeners. According to the article on the Religion Unplugged website, three-time World Series champion Darryl Strawberry is someone who, while excelling on the field, battled internal, off-the-field struggles. The article says:
Amid the adulation and success, Strawberry grappled with personal demons and addiction following a series of arrests. Strawberry recalls that it was during his darkest moments that his faith emerged as a beacon of hope and redemption. As a result, Strawberry’s Christian faith increasingly became a cornerstone of his journey toward recovery. He has openly shared his struggles and used his platform to raise awareness about addiction and the importance of seeking help.
He continues to be active in ministry to this day.
One of Strawberry's teammates on the 1999 Yankees who won the world series was Don Naulty. The article notes:
During his time on the diamond, Naulty battled alcohol and drug addiction, which ultimately led to his early retirement in 2001. However, it was during this challenging period that he found a renewed sense of purpose and faith. After leaving baseball, Naulty turned to his Christian faith and began a journey of personal transformation. He found solace and strength in his relationship with God, which helped him overcome his addictions. Naulty went on to share his story of redemption and faith, becoming a motivational speaker and minister.
Another key individual who was highlighted in that article played for National League teams in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. He was known for his speed, but apparently, his major league career was, well, underwhelming, according to another Religion Unplugged article. He left baseball in the early 90's - that would be 1890, and by 1896, Billy Sunday was drawing "large crowds." That article notes:
...Sunday is unique in that he exchanged his bat for a Bible and embarked on a career as a preacher, capitalizing on his time as a ballplayer to generate interest in his revivals. He would go on to became the most celebrated American evangelist during the early part of the 20th century. He didn’t just limit his preaching to rural towns, but also opened his mind to preaching in large urban centers like New York.
That was actually a stretch for Sunday, according to that article, which reported:
Sunday, at first, didn’t care for New York City — even calling it a “graveyard for evangelism.” In the end, he grew to appreciate New Yorkers: “I think New Yorkers are keener than country folk. They are more used to seeing and hearing new things; they catch on quicker. I couldn’t give them any Class B stuff; not even when I was tired or wanted to.”
The article continues:
It was from April to June of 1917 that the Iowa-born preacher called New York his temporary home as thousands came to see the Presbyterian minister. He claimed that 68,000 people had become faithful Christians as a result of attending his revivals. He would go on to preach across New England, even holding crusades in Providence during the Spanish flu.
Billy Sunday's name really has become much bigger in the arena of preaching than it ever was in baseball, which is a testimony to the work of God in his life.
These and other profiled by this website illustrate how God can take a life and, if we are surrendered, use it for His glory. They are individuals who played baseball, but the product of their lives is not defined by baseball. And, you hear sports figures time and again talk about how their identity is not wrapped up in what they do, but in who they are in Jesus Christ. Because, whether baseball player, preacher, or any number of occupations - ultimately, you are who God made you to be. If we get things out of order, then we find ourselves controlled by external circumstances rather than our internal reality and relationship with Christ.
For these individuals, baseball comprised a "season" of their lives. But, professional athletes should ideally realize that is not all there is. Again, you are defined not by what you do but who you are. Not, what you did, either. I thinking of Uncle Rico in the movie, Napoleon Dynamite, who was haunted by his lack of stardom on the football field and is stuck in a loop. We have to break free from the loop of past failures - and even past successes. We can think about the apostle Paul's writings about pressing on, forgetting what is behind us. These individuals I was referring to certainly saw that, with varying degrees of success on the diamond, were destined to do something more for God. We have to be intent on finding the place where God wants to use us and content where we are this moment as we allow Him to work in and through us.
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