#343.1 – “The All-Star”

“Now if Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear; for he does the work of the Lord, as I also do. Therefore let no one despise him. But send him on his journey in peace, that he may come to me; for I am waiting for him with the brethren.” - 1 Corinthians 16:10-11
Grant finished up playing ball with his regular season team a week ago, but he has been in all-star practices and/or games ever since. His last game is tonight, and they have officially placed second in their league. Grant has played very well in all of these post-season games, hitting the ball and getting on base and playing solid defense at his outfield position.
I think he has definitely enjoyed his baseball experience this year. Playing on the Cardinals team in the regular season was a great experience for him, because he had some really good coaches that taught him a lot about the game. He learned a good bit about hitting and playing defense.
For him to have been selected as an all-star was quite an honor. Whether that selection is based purely on stats… or is influenced by coaches’ recommendations… or both, the fact is that someone besides us had recognized that he has done well; it is confirmation of just how far he has come in one season.
That got me to thinking about the power of encouraging words and deeds. To have one Christian brother or sister acknowledge something they have seen in you – be it a spiritual gift that you are exercising, or an act of kindness in Jesus’ name, or anything of the sort – means a lot. Of course, our ultimate encouragement comes from the Lord. But there is strong tool to be used by Him of us in giving encouragement to each other. Let us prayerfully consider today how we might be an encourager of someone in their faith.

Daniel