Pinch Hitting During my high school years, I played on the school baseball team. It was a wonderful experience, & it taught me lessons in teamwork & contribution that I have been able to carry on into other facets of my life. While I enjoyed the experience, I was only an average player. My skill level never warranted me a starting position on a regular basis, so I found myself usually playing the role of "utility player." I did get to start occasionally, but that was when someone was out for an injury or didn't make it to the game for some reason. I mostly played the role of substitute; coming into the game to pinch-hit at a point that the coach felt was strategically advantageous for the team. For those who understand the role of "utility player", it represents your one shot in the game to make your contribution toward the goal of winning. Sometimes I succeeded & sometimes I failed.
March 14. 2004
Mike Gregory, Pastor
Mt. Zion/Shady Grove ChargeThe role of "pinch-hitter" seems to have followed me throughout my life. When my wife & I were married in November of 1992, I not only found myself entering into a marriage covenant but also found myself taking on the responsibility of raising two stepchildren. This was a drastic change for me, going from single man to husband & father literally overnight. However, it has been a rewarding experience. For reasons that God only knows, He never saw fit to bless Glenna & myself with biological children of our own. However, He blessed me with the opportunity to step in & contribute to their lives at a point when they both faced some difficult challenges. While they may technically be viewed as "stepchildren", I have never viewed them as any less than my own, & am proud of the fine young people that they have grown up to be.
In October of 1997, God opened a door of ministry to my wife & I, giving us the opportunity to provide foster care for children who were in the custody of the state. The children that God has placed in our home over the years have been here for various & tragic reasons, such as abuse, neglect, abandonment, truancy, runaway, dependency, and the list could go on. The ages of the children have also spanned the spectrum, from newborn to 18 years. We have had experiences with these children that have varied from very pleasant to challenging. In all, we have been blessed to provide care for 98 children since we began this ministry. While the circumstances surrounding the situation regarding each child or sibling group has been different, one common factor that has been present in each situation has been the absence of a parental figure, either literally or in capacity, that can provide the love, direction, discipline & structure that these children need. It has been during these times that I have found myself "pinch-hitting" for their dad, stepping in at a strategic point in their lives. It has been during these times of "temporary" service that I have played a role in getting these children back on track, preparing them to either return home to be reunited with their biological family or move into another permanent residence. As these opportunities for ministry pass through our home, I often wonder if we have succeeded or failed. It is then that I have to remind myself that we fulfill the roles of seed-sower or waterer, but it is God that gives the increase (I Corinthians 3:6).
The question was posed to me recently concerning what it would take to enter into the kingdom of heaven. I directed this person to a parable recorded in Matthew 25:31-46, which reads as follows: 31 "But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 "All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. 34 "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' 37 "Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 'When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' 40 "The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' 41 "Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' 44 "Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' 45 "Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' 46 "These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
The criteria for separation of the sheep from the goats on that day had nothing to do with church membership, denominational affiliation, position, influence, or any of the other things that we may esteem to be important. What separated the sheep from the goats was response to the needs around them. The lesson that Jesus attempts to communicate in this parable is that our response (or lack of) to the needs of people that we come in contact with is the same as responding to Him. How we respond will determine how we are received on the day when we stand before the judgment seat of Christ. As we look at some of the tragic segments of our society, such as abused & neglected children, the impoverished, the chemically dependent, the physically- or mentally-challenged, the incarcerated, the elderly, etc., we must ask ourselves "What am I doing to respond to their needs?" Know that when you respond to the needs of those around you with an act of service, it is the same as extending worship to God Himself. It may very well be that God is giving you the opportunity to "pinch-hit" at a strategic point in the life of someone, & how you respond may play a key part in someone experiencing ultimate victory - that being a relationship with our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. As you step up to the plate, will you succeed or fail?
