(1 Corinthians 12:13-14) - Baseball Cards

(1 Corinthians 12:13-14) "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many."

When I was growing up, collecting baseball cards was a passion for my brother and I.............and just about every other kid in the neighborhood. Of course, there were certain cards that were more valuable than others.................a Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, or Roger Maris card was just about the best a person could hope for.

My brother and I would collect shoeboxes full of cards and trade them with others. And we would become our baseball heroes whenever we grabbed a ball, bat, and glove to play with the other kids in the neighborhood.

I kept it in my mind that I wanted someday to play ball like my hero Mickey Mantle. Reality, however, was something different. I wasn't nearly as skilled as Mantle at hitting home runs...............nor could I field fly balls like he could in his early years. I just never seemed to measure up..............or even come close for that matter.

And after trying for awhile to become better, I gradually gave up on my dream to be like my hero.............and even in other areas I began to resign myself to accepting that I could not excel in anything. This was pretty much the story of how my life went until I happened to meet up with the Lord one night at the altar.

Over time with His Help I began to realize a number of things. I may not measure up to anyone in this world, but in my Lord's eyes it doesn't matter. He made me different from anyone else in His Body. I'm unique. I have a specific task to do that the Lord picked for me to do when time began.

As Brother Paul says above............"we were all baptized into one body.............and we were all made to drink of one Spirit"....but the Body of Christ is not just one member.............it is "many"................each of us a unique reflection of the same Spirit of the One who conceived of us, Jesus.

I am a member of the Body of the Alpha and Omega.............that will always humble me..........that will always bring me into a state of worship and reverence because of what that means.

Love in Jesus,

Jim

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"But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired." (1 Corinthians 12:18 NASB)

"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, Copyright 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission."

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This devotional was originally posted on CCI-Devo - Daily Group Devotionals on December 13, 2004 in post #719. It was written by Jim Ross, a former United Pentecostal Church member, who attends Christian Challenge International, the sponsor of the devotional group. The devotional is the copyright of Jim Ross and is reprinted on this site by permission.

Page added May 15, 2005

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