Man do I love thinking back about my playing days… being
out on the basketball court is what I think about most of the time. What is
interesting is what I tend to think back on…
When I was still in high school, I was definitely more of
a scorer… I’d like to think I was a well-rounded player and not a ball-hog, but
I’m not sure my former teammates would see it that way. But as I grew a bit
older, I found that the things I loved about the game changed; maybe it was
just that I started maturing a little bit and understanding more about the
game.
What I think most fondly about from when I was playing is
not the scoring I did, but instead the “dimes I dropped.” If you are not into
basketball that doesn’t make much sense to you, but a “dime” is slang for an
assist…. so, to “drop a dime” meant to make a pass that led to one’s teammate
actually scoring the bucket. I was pretty good at putting the ball in the
basket but found that I was really good at putting the ball in the right place
for my teammates to find success.
I guess I should get to the devotional point of this (even
though I would love to reminisce more about the glory days.) This past week I was
hosting a Zoom meeting with some youth leaders from around the country talking about
the current state of ministry and how we will go about “re-igniting” ministry
as the quarantine lifts.
As I prepared my notes I came back to a message I have
been sharing recently that simply states that grace is not only our hope for
salvation, but also our motivation for sanctification. This fit in because I believe
that grace is the best thing to not only ignite fires… but to re-ignite fires…
and to maintain fires! And while I was preparing my notes, I wrote this: Grace
is best served! (Figuratively and Literally)
My quick explanation of this is:
Grace (the Gospel) is a gift… a demonstration and
extension of God’s love… to man while man is yet a sinner. Our presentation of
the Gospel to the loss is “best served” in that we should offer it as a gift in
love…
Grace is also most effective when it is “served” literally.
Sharing food with a hungry man is not enough… a man can still go to Hell on a
full stomach! But the reality is that it is easier to listen to the Gospel when
one’s stomach isn’t growling! So literal serving is also a great way to share
grace.
I want my life to characterized by putting (serving) the
Gospel in the right place for the lost to find the success of faith in Christ…
Dropping Gospel Dimes!
For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a SERVANT to all, that I might win the more. (1 Corinthians 9:19)
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