Dave wrote such a nice piece about Pujols a week or so ago, that I thought I would return the favor and play up a Yankee analogy. I was sitting around watching SportsCenter and they were talking to Mariano Rivera, the historically great Yankee closer. During the segment, they showed a feature by the “Sports Science” guys about how Rivera’s pitches work and at one point there was a split screen and it honestly looked like Rivera was stunned to see the mechanics behind his own pitch. When the announcer asked him if that was really how he did it, Rivera’s answer was telling. He said, “I don’t think about any of that, I just get the ball and throw it.”
Now I know the rule about invoking sports around here, even the Yankees, sports must have some sort of application beyond sports for sports sake. The reason I mention this incident is it got me to thinking about some of the recent brouhahas we have had around here. I think there is a great deal of fun in breaking down why something works or how it works, but ultimately it’s whether or not we do it that matters.
We can have wonderful debates about the technical aspects of a relationship with God and we can do our best to calculate the best way to win the lost or disciple the saved and those things are important. Just read some of my other posts and you will see that I am certainly about getting things right. But if you can describe it all perfectly and never do a thing it is all for naught.
God is the one who builds His church and He gives gifts to the body for the many functions that are required.(Ephesians 4:11-16) These gifts come naturally to the ones who exercise them. They just “get the ball and throw it.” There was something else that Rivera said that struck me. He gave credit to God for his ability. Now you may think it silly to say such a thing, but I am going to argue with you on that. God-given talent isn’t limited to the ability to preach a good sermon or teach a good class. It isn’t confined to just those things that we see as spiritual. Everything we have is a gift from God, and that would include athletic ability. Now, let’s take this back to the spiritual side.
In our culture today, we are accustomed to a lot of talking. We probably do a lot more talking than we do actually doing anything. We have 24/7 news channels and sports channels and people who will debate about the smallest little detail of anything until the cows come home. Here at SBC Voices, we have posts about doctrine and posts about culture and posts about the GCR and all kinds of other things as well. We like to “watch our phraseology” and break down the “science of God” (theology) as fine as you please. I think it is a good thing, or else I wouldn’t hang around here at all, but every once in a while it is good to just “get the ball and throw it.”
Brings to mind the Nike slogan, “Just Do It.” I think sometimes we get so bogged down in theory, theological minutia and such that we fail to simply do the work of the ministry.
I read an article about Rivera a few years when he described how he began to throw his cutter. He called it a gift of God. He was playing catch with another player and the other guy started complaining about the way his throws were breaking. He had no idea what he was doing. It was just happening.
Any story that is based on a Yankee great is a good story!
Right on, and pretty much in agreement with what Wade Burleson wrote some weeks ago (about just getting on with your life, including the spiritual).
God said if we’ll take delight in Him, He’ll give us the desires of our heart. Most of the time, my Christian friends simply don’t act like that, and we really should.
I doubt Bezalel knew why God had gifted him in all sorts of crafts, but God knew, and the result was the construction of the tabernacle; I think it significant that God says He filled him with the Spirit, and gifted him. First mention of that, that I’m aware of, in the Bible. And it was carpentry and stonecutting?
You know it is funny that you bring up Bezalel. We just talked about him and Oholiab in Bible study(Exodus 31 for those who are curious) a couple of weeks ago and the idea of God gifting people with the gifts that they need to do His work by His Spirit. We had a great discussion about using all of the gifts that God has given to us. And I think you are correct about it being the first mention of God’s Spirit in that manner.
And the first of “gifted him…..”, I believe. NOT on most people’s list of “Spiritual gifts”.
Can we put that in a spiritual gifts inventory somewhere? I would love to see those questions. Rate from 1 to 5 with 1 being least and 5 being most your inclination toward woodworking… metalworking… weaving… and so on.
You cannot reference the Yankees and God together in any blog post.
It’s on the third tablet that Moses dropped by accident on the way down from the mountain.
Jeff, Bill will need to be permanently banned for such a comment. Do you want to handle that, or shall I?
Are you going by the book or just using your gut for that one? I will let you handle it.
Evil