God's First-round Pick

Baseball season is in full "swing" (pardon the pun), and for many, it's much more than a game. Baseball represents something grander, something more majestic. I don't even know how to put it into words. As a lad, I recall gathering with friends on a vacant field. We'd mark off the bases (generally unevenly spaced holes in the ground) and then select two captains. A sacred ritual followed. As a bat was tossed aloft, one captain grabbed it. Each captain alternately placed one hand above the other until one reached the top of the bat. He got first pick. At this point, the rest of us jockeyed for position, expending great effort to make eye contact with the captains. The reason? No one wanted to bear the ego-crushing blow of being chosen last. 

For me, this ritual was especially stressful. Growing up, we moved a lot. From third grade through tenth grade, I attended a different school each year. I was a decent athlete, but since no one had seen me play, I was generally toward the bottom of the "draft choices". But that all changed one Spring day in the third grade. 

Unbelievably, in our class that year, was a boy who was twelve years old! He wasn't the brightest bulb in the box, but he could hit the ball further than Mickey Mantle. Guess who always got picked first? Lee Roy. Until that fateful day when I showed up with a new first baseman's mitt. The team captain asked if he could borrow it. I casually said, "Sure, if you choose me for your team." Before you could say, "Babe Ruth", he called my name! I didn't see it coming, but I was the first kid chosen that day. No one had ever been picked ahead of Lee Roy...until now! Silence filled the diamond as I strutted over and stood next to my captain. I don't remember what happened after that. Being chosen first was all that mattered.  In a sense I had "sold my soul" by trading my first baseman's mitt to be a "first round choice". But at least, I was picked first!

It feels good to be chosen; to know you're wanted. The truth is, on God's team, we're all first-round picks. Know why I'm so sure of that? Look through scripture and see who He chose for His team: losers, failures, misfits, cowards, prostitutes, liars, adulterers, murderers... Do I need to keep going? Ephesians 1:4 reads, "Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes."

Check that out: Before He ever created anything, God...chose...you! There's a lot of discussion and controversy over how He did it, but scripture is clear: You are chosen by God! It's not because of any goodness or righteousness of yours. It's simply that God loves you and wants you on His team-- No matter where' you've been, what you've done, or how many times you've done it. No matter how smart, talented or rich you are. You're His first choice...even if you don't own a brand-new first baseman's mitt.