This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)
Last week, we looked at the spiritual parallel between every Major League Baseball (MLB) player receiving and accepting an offer to play and every Jesus-follower receiving and accepting The Offer to follow Jesus.
Did you know each new MLB player starts in the Farm System? They do! There are six farm teams that are Minor League Baseball affiliates for each major league team. Each of the six farm teams represents a division in the farm system and those teams are ranked from Rookie to Triple-A. The players on these teams play against other teams in their division.
Not every new player stays in the farm system the same amount of time. For example, Bryce Harper first signed with the Washington Nationals in 2010 and quickly moved through their farm system. He began the 2012 baseball season with their Triple-A team but finished that same season as a member of the Washington Nationals starting roster.
Did Bryce have more things to learn even after he started playing in the major league? Yes! Did he learn them? Yes! He learned some things quicker than others, but he definitely learned through the system and is continuing to learn today. Yes, Bryce still plays professional baseball. He is currently playing for the Philadelphia Phillies and continues to mature as a player and as a person.
What’s the spiritual parallel?
When we first accept Jesus’ offer of salvation and choose to follow Him…
We all start in the same place.
We all need training.
We will always be active participants even while we train.
Just like baseball players are learning through the farm system while playing other equally matched teams in the system, we will be actively following Jesus and intentionally learning from Him as we follow.
God uses several training methods as well. One is His written word, the Bible; another is Holy Spirit, who dwells within every Jesus-follower. Other Jesus-followers like pastors and teachers and other learners help us learn. We learn while we live. Living well requires practice and time. Some lessons we will learn quicker than others. Some of us will move quickly through the initial training, but none of us will ever quit learning or practicing or using our training.
We’ll talk more about practicing what we learn next time.
Between Then and Now…
1 Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Make it a priority to read some of the Bible every single day and discover the benefits of reading God’s word.
2 Read Psalm 119:11. Why do you think learning God’s word helps us make right choices?
3 Read Romans 12:1-2. Talk to Jesus and ask Him to help you see the areas of your life where you need to stop conforming and allow His word to bring transformation.
Digging Deeper:
Galatians 5:25, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Hebrews 5:11-13 & 1 Peter 2:1-3
If you have not yet met Jesus, you can meet Him today. He created you. He loves you. He wants you to be a part of His family. I encourage you to step into the life He created you to live. You will still have the troubles of this world, but you will no longer be facing them alone. I’m praying for you! https://peacewithgod.net/mobile/?utm_source=Microsoft&utm_medium=CPC&utm_term=HowToGoToHeaven&utm_campaign=USPWGMobileSearchMic
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.