The
Harvester
SEPTEMBER 2003 No. 213
PART OF A
WINNING TEAM
Everybody wants to be a winner. Some people want to win
every game that they play. Others want to win in sports, in school, in
business, in love or life in general. Our society rewards and praises winners
and that’s why most people want to win.
However, being part of a winning team is especially
fulfilling to the individual. It makes us feel good to share with others the
“thrill of victory”. There is glory when we realize our accomplishments as a
team and when we succeed as a group instead of as individuals. In fact, have
you ever noticed that the most popular sports in our country, like football and
baseball and basketball and hockey, are “team” sports? There seems to be a
certain satisfaction when a collection of individuals, the “team”, wins.
To take it a level higher, being part of a championship
team is a dream for many. When we come together as a group and we compete
against other similar groups, our ultimate goal is to be the best team – the
championship team! Many of you probably saw the news this summer about the
aging basketball player, Karl Malone. For almost 20 years he played on the
In a sense, Christians are already on a winning
team. Think about it. We are members of the same body, the Lord’s body of
believers which is the church (Eph.
Look at some of the members of your team, brothers
and sisters in Christ. All of them share your same desire to be a part of this
winning team. Some have even sacrificed much to be in this extraordinary group,
like giving up their family, friends, money, time, prestige, etc. Isn’t it
wonderful to be an element of this spiritual team (1 Cor.
Being part of Christ’s team can also be so
encouraging and uplifting to each member. Knowing that we are not alone in this
world, that we have others to help us and support us can be very edifying.
Consider the story about the man who got lost while driving through the
country. As he tried to read a map, he accidentally drove off the road into a
ditch. Though he wasn’t injured, his car was stuck deep in the mud. So the man
walked to a nearby farm to ask for help.
“
The farmer hitched the mule to the car. With a snap
of the reins he shouted, “Pull, Fred! Pull, Jack! Pull, Ted! Pull,
The farmer grinned and said, “Old Warwick is just
about blind. As long as he believes he’s part of a team, he doesn’t mind
pulling.” Unfortunately, some of us are like the mule in this story. We have
become blind to the fact that we are on a winning team! If many of us could
just see the truth, we wouldn’t mind “harvesting” for the Lord. We wouldn’t
mind spreading the Gospel or standing up for Jesus because there are others
alongside us who are already doing that! You are not alone, team member!
This summer I really learned the value of being part
of a winning team. Just across the state line, a new congregation was established
in
But the effect of the
RAY McMANUS
THINGS AREN’T
ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM
Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in
the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels
stay in the mansion’s guest room. Instead, the angels were given a small space
in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel
saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the
older angel replied, “Things aren’t always what they seem.”
The next night the pair came to rest at the house of
a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little
food they had, the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could
have a good night’s rest. When the sun came up the next morning the angels
found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been
their sole income, lay dead in the field.
The younger angel was infuriated and he asked the
older angel, “How could you have possibly let this happen? The first man had
everything, yet you helped him,” he accused. “The second family had little but
was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die.”
“Things aren’t always what they seem,” the older
angel replied. “When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there
was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the
owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I
sealed the wall so he wouldn’t find it. Then last night as we slept in the
farmer’s bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow
instead.”
Things aren’t always what they seem. Sometimes that
is exactly what happens when things don’t turn out the way they should. If you
have faith, you just need to trust that every outcome is always to your
advantage. You might not know it until some time later …
“And we know that all things work together for
good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his
purpose.” (Rom.
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