Jun
22
Scouts for Jesus
Filed Under Devotional
I’m a fan of many sports, but the mathematician in me can really get into baseball. There are so many ways to crunch numbers, compare statistics, and overanalyze the game. I also like the tradition and legend that goes with a game that’s been played professionally for over a hundred years. I can appreciate the grizzled veteran teaching the kid how to play the game. I don’t have any of that experience, but it’s fun to watch and live vicariously.
I’m always impressed by those people around a team that make the team better with little or no recognition. The trainer spends a lot of time keeping the stars healthy, but he’ll never be on the cover of Sports Illustrated. The minor league coaches don’t get much recognition, but they teach teenagers how to play the game the right way. But, the guys who seem to get no love at all are the scouts.
The scouts almost never get to watch the team they work for in person. They’re always on the road watching games for upcoming teams. Or, if they are talent scouts, they spend their lives watching high school and college games looking for the next big star. Or, maybe they watch a lot of obscure baseball in Central America and South America hoping to find a diamond in the rough. And, when they do spot the star-to-be and he’s plucked out of obscurity by the team he works for, he may never see that kid again until he shows up on ESPN highlights five years later.
I feel like that’s a bit of the life for the people Jesus healed and then sent away:
“The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, ‘Return home and tell how much God has done for you.’ So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.” Luke 8:38-39
Sometimes, we are called to be close to the action. Jesus wants us working in the church around the pastors and making things happen in the “big leagues”. Other times, we are called to be out in the world sharing the Good News. This man was radically saved and wanted to serve Jesus directly. Jesus told him to simply go tell others the Good News, and he did. He didn’t get to follow Jesus around, but he did use the experience he had to help change the lives of others.
So, don’t be disappointed if God is not calling you to work in the “big leagues”. He may be sending you out to find the talent he needs for the next big thing.
The truth is that those scouts do play a part in making a team successful. So, if we are called to simply go back to our town (or our job) and tell others the Good News, then let’s do that. That’s the part we play to make the team successful.