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Kevin Myers—Senior Pastor of 12Stone Church, one of the largest churches in the U.S. and the nation’s fastest growing in 2010—released his first book earlier this year along with his mentor, John Maxwell.
In Home Run, Myers explains, “God has a dream for your life. He loves you. He made you uniquely. He has given you gifts and talents. He created you with a purpose. And you can fulfill it! You can learn to be content, as the Apostle Paul did. You can live life to the full, as Jesus offered. It means following God and doing things His way. But always remember that God ultimately wants the best for you. When we do things God’s way, the journey isn’t always what we expect, but it’s always better than we imagined and more than we deserve.”
Most of us want to experience the equivalent of a home run in life—a life where the dreams of our youth are fulfilled!
Home Plate: Love God (Connection with God)
Galatians 1:11-12 – I want you to know brothers and sisters that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
Just like in baseball, Home Plate is where everything begins and ends. It’s where the batter connects with the ball and crosses back over to score.
Here, we learn how to “connect” our purpose with God’s power.
First Base: Love Yourself (Character)
Romans 12:1-2 – Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
What happens most of the time when a player comes up to bat? They fail to reach first base.
First base is all about Character and winning within. All along the journey of life, at one time or another, we let character issues get in our way – whether it’s anger, addictions, selfishness, procrastination, gossip, lust…we all get it…but how do we control it?
John Wooden—nicknamed the “Wizard of Westwood,” who as head coach of UCLA basketball won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period, including seven in a row—described character as respect for yourself, respect for others, and respect for the rules. He urged his players to “be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” His father gave him seven suggestions for life, which served him well:
- Be true to yourself.
- Help others.
- Make each day your masterpiece.
- Drink deeply from good books—including the Good Book.
- Make friendship a fine art.
- Build a shelter against a rainy day.
- Pray for guidance, count and give thanks for your blessings every day.
Second Base: Love Others (Community)
Ephesians 4:2-5 – Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism…
Getting to second base in baseball is important because it’s considered scoring position.
Second base is all about Community and winning with others. Sometimes “getting along” is the most impossible thing to do. But stop and think about it. Aren’t the greatest and most memorable times in life the times when we share meaningful moments with others? Learning to win second base ensures we will have more meaningful moments with others.
Third Base: Love What You Do (Competence)
Colossians 3:23 – Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters
Third base is about Competence and winning results. And it is more than just performance. It is abundance. Myers declares, “My Purpose is into Creator, not my Career! So I live & work for my creator first!”
Score: Do It All for the Glory of God
1 Cor. 10:31 – So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Home Plate is about Scoring…keep living and keep winning.
In Westminster Larger Catechism, the first question is, “What is the chief and highest end of man?” Answer: To glorify God, and fully to enjoy Him forever. That was written in the 1640s. If we were writing it today, perhaps it would say to glorify God and serve Him forever.
Hall of Famers Faith’ers
Moses
D. L. Moody once said, “Moses spent his first forty years thinking he was somebody. He spent his second forty years learning he was a nobody. He spent his third forty years discovering what God can do with a nobody.”
Daniel
Dependence: He prayed to God three times a day in Babylon.
Character: He chose to follow God instead of the king’s edict to worship him.
Relationships: He won the respect of his companions, the king, and the court.
Results: King Nebuchadnezzar made him ruler of the province of Babylon.
Peter
Dependence: After vacillating between I can do anything and I can’t do anything, Peter finally learned to rely on the Holy Spirit after Pentecost.
Character: He preached the Gospel even when threatened with death, and was eventually martyred for his faith.
Relationships: He earned respect and became the leader of the church in Jerusalem.
Results: He preached and thousands believed; he led a spiritual revolution that eventually turned the Roman Empire upside down.
Paul
Dependence: After his road to Damascus experience, he relied on Christ day by day, while being stoned, shipwrecked, flogged, persecuted, and, ultimately, executed.
Character: He learned to be content in all situations.
Relationships: Though not one of the original twelve, he became the most respected follower of Christ and greatest missionary in the world.
Results: He planted churches throughout the known world and wrote the definitive theological works upon which the Christian faith is built.
Final Advice
1. Do What You Were Created to Do… For God’s Glory
If your motivation is to serve for God’s glory instead of your own, every act that uses your gifts becomes an act of worship…a glorification of God.
2. Give Yourself Away… For God’s Glory
Giving isn’t about the receiver or the gift but the giver. It’s for the giver. One doesn’t open one’s wallet to improve the world, although it’s nice when that happens; one does it to improve one’s self… Giving is a way of taking the focus off the money we make and putting it back where it belongs—on the lives we lead, the families we raise, the communities which nurture us…
3. Invite Others into the Faith Journey… For God’s Glory
4. Help Others Discover What They Were Created to Do… For God’s Glory
What does all of this mean in a practical sense?
It means to live life according to God’s game plan:
- Love God (home plate)
- Love yourself (first base)
- Love others (second base)
- Love what you do (third base)
- Do all for the glory of God (score)
That kind of home run life gives itself away, and gets more back than it ever dreamed!