I’m not a sports fanatic, but I am a fan of many. Mostly I like the teams my brother didn’t like, back in our pre-teen rivalry years. 

Often we like local teams, but mostly everyone just wants to see a good game.  I love to sit at a hockey game, right behind the boards, I love constant action.

Even if I’m a fair-weather fan of some adopted local teams, supporting my die-hard friends who are fanatics, I do feel their pain and joy…  Ah, suffering servants of sports, they are LOYAL. They are True. 

Football is a team sport – offense and defense and special teams are unique lines, but BASEBALL uses everyone on both “offense” and “defense” (pinch-hitters aside). Baseball is a team sport of individuals and requires coordination of single plays. The team, with different pitchers and lineups, even mid-season trades, could be a different team each game but they are a TEAM right in that moment.

A TEAM. We are individuals and we also fall under logistics collections of teams or countries or jurisdictions. Often we are free agents IF we have mobility, money, motivation, and freedom to choose. Family decisions make the decision easy or hard, because we want to be with our crew. 

FYI, God does too, His crew is me and you. We are on God’s Team!

Life games and life GAINS. God wants us on His Team. God wants to be with us. God already picked us for His team, but sadly some trade themselves away to be devoted to other games. God picked us to be called up for the life-forever-league and places us on these current teams to make a difference as workers in the field. With a priceless payment of Jesus’s blood, God paid our way to secure the best team too. He chose us before we chose Him! God only has us on the scoring side, on the offense, in the line that gains ground. God is ALREADY our best defense, we only need to hide under His wings. 

Jesus was able to tell His disciples (72 sent out as workers) about the benefits of living under all Godly authority, and even having an opportunity in seeing evil demons submit. Jesus, having seen Satan fall from the sky, said the disciples (and we) should rejoice MORE that their/our names were WRITTEN IN HEAVEN (see Luke 10).

When we come to a saving faith in Jesus, we now have an “open door that no one can shut”. (See Revelation 3)

We are on earthly teams, and sometimes they win and sometimes they lose. But FOREVER we are on God’s Team – and He already won, so we just need to play through…

He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame.

He won us! He picked us! 

We ARE God’s Team!!!

Amen

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Scriptures:

Jesus sent out 72 disciples in pairs to share the Word (Luke 10:16-21): “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.” The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”

He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.”

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Revelation 3:1-6

“To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

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Revelation 3:7-13

 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.  Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.

I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

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Revelation 17:14

“They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”

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Ephesians 1:3-7

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;…