Men's Ministry Blog: Reds Ballgame Devotion

Red’s ballgame devotion 5/23/25

I’ve always liked watching the 1st or 3rd base coach giving signs. I wasn’t much of a baseball player, so they are beyond my comprehension, but I love watching the coaches tell the players what to do through a series of quick hand motions. So this got me thinking about signs- specifically John 2.11:
This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
Jesus had just turned the water into wine at a wedding. There are some very interesting aspects of this story- wine’s symbolism as abundant blessing and in Messianic prophecy[1], the use of vessels reflecting the type of change[2], etc.  For my part, there are a couple things that stand out. The first is the relationship between the sign and Jesus’s glory. This sign and His other miracles point (and prove) to the truth that Jesus is the Savior of the world. Just as He saved the wedding from disaster, delivered the official’s son from sickness[3] and healed the invalid at the pool[4], through Jesus all of us can be saved. Jesus is, after all, the good shepherd who laid down His life to save His sheep[5]. Secondly, all we ever need to do is look to Jesus for direction. We over-complicated things in the church at times. We we boil everything down, though, all we need is Jesus.  He is our way to God[6], our hope[7] and our answer to life’s problems[8]. His life provides us the model for our own lives and His commandments are the perfect guide we need for day-to-day living[9]. Finally, when I think about signs, I always have to ask myself are there signs in my own life that point to my connection with Jesus. Does my life or the things I do/say/think point back to Christ in some way? It is a strong litmus test of our connection with Jesus to look at our lives each day and evaluate the fruits we are bearing[10]. When we look back at each day can we see the love of Jesus shaping our words and thoughts and actions?
 I am excited for the game tonight and to spend some time with my brothers in Christ. If there is anything Men’s Ministry and FCC Grayson can do for you or pray about, please let us know.
 
   [1] See Amos 9
   [2] 2.6&7. Some of you may remember Pastor Ben talking about this during the sermon series on John. Because Jesus used purification jars instead of empty wine containers, He demonstrated the change was internal and not external.
   [3] 4.43-54
   [4] 5.1-15
   [5] What a wonderful analogy- see John 10.1-18
   [6] “the way and the truth and the life” John 14.6
   [7] See 14.1-4
   [8] What a beautiful promise in John 14.12-14
   [9] See John 13.34&35, for example. I am not discounting anything else in the Word, but Jesus’s life and teachings are the ultimate authority for us as Christians
   [10] See John 15.1-17, especially v 5 “I am the vine and you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”