LifeLink Devotional

Monday, May 4, 2020

Every year one of the highlights of the golf season is to be able to help the Good news Jail & Prison Ministry raise funds for their annual budget. We do so by seeking sponsors for a four-person team of golfers that will represent Calvary in a golf tournament. In addition to seeking financial sponsors for this great ministry, we need to select a team that can carry on the tradition of championships Calvary has won over the years, even though it’s been a few years since we won as other teams have upped their game.

There are specific things I look for in team members. They even have nicknames. We need a Bomber, who can hit their drives a long way with accuracy. We need Mr. Clutch, who can hit any shot or sink any putt under pressure. We need Mr. Consistency, who can always put us in position so the Bomber can truly bomb. And we need Mr. Encouragement, who can always help us maintain a positive outlook when we don’t perform up to our expectations.

It helps when putting a team together to define the team objectives and have a specific function in mind for each team member that facilitates the accomplishment of the goal. I hope your favorite football team understood that and was able to do it in the recent draft.

This week in our study of the Gospel of John, we see Jesus beginning the formation of His team that will be assembled to accomplish His objectives (John 1:35-42). The first thing I find interesting about John’s account of the first three disciples is that each one of them came to Him with a desire to be chosen. Of course, Jesus is God, so He had a pre-determined plan of who those men would be. Yet each man, led by the Holy Spirit’s influence in his own heart, sought out Jesus.

Two were directed to Jesus by John the Baptizer. One came at the invitation of his brother. All three came based on the knowledge of who Jesus was. John the Baptizer identified Jesus to the first two as the Lamb of God, so they followed. The third man, Simon, at his first meeting with Jesus, was confronted with the infinite knowledge of God. Jesus knew His name and his father’s name. Then Jesus, in a bold statement of team goals and specific personal function for him, gave Simon the name Cephas, or Peter.

When Jesus put together His team, He knew exactly who the team needed to accomplish the ultimate goal of redemption and the continued mission of the Gospel to the world. That’s why Jesus also chose you. Jesus has invited you to play a specific role on His team. He has identified your position on the team, recognized your natural skills and abilities, and then supernaturally equipped you with His gifts through the power of the Holy Spirit. You are ready to become a champion for the cause of Christ.

Get off the bench. You are a starter. The team needs you. You play a significant role in Christ’s mission. Put on your uniform – the Armor of God – and join the championship drive.

Pastor John